Cupid Sucks
by Writer's-411
Summary: Cupid, the Greek god of love, is bored, and he doesn't want to play with the humans anymore. Thus, he sets his eyes on a few spirits who are engaged in battle. He swoops down to cast his love challenge, requiring all to put forth effort to fall in love. Pairs include: GrimmIchi, NnoiNel, and RukiHime. Warning: Homosexual couples, adult content, cursing, and lots of humor!
1. Cupid

**Hey... Okay, so I went against what I wasn't hoping for: story spitter. This is another idea that I have. Shame on me! Anyway that's not the entire point; I want to share this idea with you all. This story involves Greek Mythology, and I know that the idea is not new. I'm not sure if there are other stories involving Cupid, but I assure you all that I did not commit plagiarism. I came up with this in a Target parking lot. **

**Just tell me how you all feel about this.**

**Chapter One: Cupid**

The god of love, Cupid, was laying atop a mound of cushions when he complained, "I'm so bored." He rolled over onto his stomach and childishly kicked his legs as he wondered what to do to minimize his boredom. Messing with mortals has become boring for the god of love; even his wife tells him to occupy himself something less human.

"Damn it all!" complained the god as he threw up his hands in frustration. He buried his face in his red silk pillow and groaned. Then his head shot up. _Why not mess with the dead or spirited? _With that thought, Cupid jumped to his feet atop his pillows with a determined look. He jumped from his pillows and landed on the porcelain floors of his home. Cupid pushed aside the white lace curtains and flew toward his pot of love.

"Hello, lovely," he said to the golden pot. Cupid poked the pink contents with his finger and watched the liquid swirl. He was giddy with glee and pride, for he was going to try something completely new. Something that involved spirits. Cupid clasped his hands together in happiness when an image appeared. He placed both hands on the pot and leaned over to get a better look.

Cupid jumped when an image of a flash of energy appeared. He smirked and grew more interested. Then he saw an orange haired man dodge another flash of energy. _How fun_, thought Cupid as he eagerly drank in the new beings. He then spotted another creature with blue hair. The two figures were engaging in an all out battle. Then the pot skipped toward an image of a fair strawberry haired maiden and a green haired child.

The most interesting image appeared when the blue haired man made a energy flash at the woman and child, who were protected by the orange haired man's body. Cupid grinned when the man was still in one piece with a mask over his face. Cupid frowned, then he peered closer. _Interesting_, he thought, _that man made a mask appear on his face. The blue haired one also has a quarter of his mask. _Cupid hummed to himself as he evaluated the beings in his pot.

Then a large explosion came into view of his pot. _Such distasteful creatures_, thought Cupid. He withdrew his hands from the pot, making the liquid go clear. Cupid turned from the pot and walked toward a golden wall, where his quiver of arrows and bow rest peacefully. "Mother always said I was a good archer," mumbled Cupid as he took down his bow and quiver. He strapped the quiver onto his back and slid the bow into the quiver with his arrows. The arrows gleamed white, while the bow gleamed red with pink ribbon. The quiver, however, was a deep black.

_There is too much hate down there_, thought Cupid as he smoothed his hair. _It's about time I went down there and spread some love, especially between the two with locks of orange and blue. _Cupid chuckled darkly and laughed, "The end rhymed." With a smile as large as can be, he sprouted his white eagle wings and lifted into the air. Cupid soared out into the open of Olympus, where clouds floated by and the building's shimmered a golden white.

He flew to the gates of Olympus and bid them to open. When the gates opened, Cupid chuckled and flapped past the gate. He turned to look at his home and said, "I shall return." He dove downward.

In Hueco Mundo...

Rukia ran out into the open. She was glad to have caught up with Ichigo, who was still busy trying to beat Grimmjow. She looked toward a pillar, where she sensed Orihime and another. Her head whipped around by Ichigo when she heard him scream. "Ichigo!" she called out to him. The girl flash stepped toward the scene.

Ichigo heard Rukia, and he could sense her. As he rose from the rubble, he yelled out, "Rukia! Don't come near! Just stay with Orihime and Nel!" He staggered to stand as his mask cracked. His eyes widened when Grimmjow appeared.

"You're mine, shinigami!" growled Grimmjow. He was already in his release form. Grimmjow slashed at Ichigo's face and continued to assault Ichigo's body with kicks. When he got Ichigo on the ground, Grimmjow raised his arm to slash at the other's face, but he was cut off by a whack to the head.

Ichigo stared up in shock when Grimmjow's body was hit aside. He looked to the attacker and saw a lanky Espada.

"Yo," said the Espada. "My name's Nnoitra Jiruga Gilga, the quinta, and I'll be killin' ya this evenin'!" His lips were set up in a grin, revealing his upper teeth.

"Getsuga Tensho!" roared Ichigo as he swung his blade from his position on the ground. When Nnoitra backflipped out of the way, Ichigo quickly got to his feet and glanced at a groaning Grimmjow.

"Nnoitra!" roared Grimmjow. He quickly got to his feet and dashed for Ichigo, who caught him in time to block a slash.

Rukia had just made it to Orihime when she spotted Nnoitra on the battlefield. "Ichigo!" she yelled.

"No, Ichigo!" yelled Orihime. "Don't die!"

"I'll help," said the child at the women's feet. She walked toward the edge of the pillar.

"You'll be killed," said Orihime in worry. "Don't go, Nel. I don't want you dying out there."

Nel looked back. Here eyes were no longer large and glittery, but they were dull with wisdom. Her body expanded, ripping the green cloth she wore. Her face matured, and her chest and thighs plumped out. Her hair grew until it reached the peak of her rear end. Nel gasped when her transformation was complete. "I shall be fine," she said.

Nel looked out onto the battlefield and glided down. As she neared the struggling Ichigo, she roared, "Nnoitra!" When the quinta did look up, Nel swung her body, so her leg connected with Nnoitra's chest. Her target's body flew into the opposite pillar.

"Nel?" asked Ichigo when he spotted the blow. _Is that really her? _he asked himself. He was hit in the gut by Grimmjow's leg.

"I'll take care of Nnoitra," said Nel as she stood tall with pride. She walked toward the pillar.

"I'm over here, shinigami!" roared Grimmjow. He pun again to land another blow, but he was blocked by Ichigo's black sword. _Fuckin' shinigami and his sword_, he inwardly cursed as his blows were blocked.

Ichigo cursed as Grimmjow laid a series of blows to him. He continued to block with his sword. _Grimmjow...never gives up, does he? Damn it! _He flash stepped aside when Grimmjow came to hit him with both fists.

As the fighters were about to engage in another series of attacks and blocks, they were forced to their knees by a high wave of spiritual pressure.

_This power_, cringed Ichigo. _What is it? Who is it?_ Ichigo gasped when the pressure was lowered. He looked up; thus, his eyes widened at the sight. Along with the others, Ichigo gazed upon a beautiful man, who was being supported in the air by a pair of eagle wings on his back. The man's skin glowed gold, and his eyes burned with a fiery green. His chest was chiseled with muscle that was soon consumed by a white toga. His long, wavy locks were flowing down his back in chest in golden streams. Sandals adorned his feet, and silver gauntlets shielded his forearms. Despite his masculine features, all focused on his face, where the mouth was curved seductively and the nose was straight and the cheekbones created a masculine definition.

"Who are you?" asked Ichigo. He was mesmerized by the other's green eyes.

The floating being chuckled and said, "I am Cupid." He snapped his fingers and Orihime and Rukia were assembled with the group. _Such a lovely set of girls_, he thought. _More fun for me._ Cupid gave his charming smile toward the girls, who blushed and looked away.

"Cupid?" asked Ichigo. He stood to his feet and said, "But... Cupid is a Greek god. The Greek Gods don't exist. They're a myth." He yelped when his body was presented before Cupid with just a snap of Cupid's fingers.

Cupid flashed his straight teeth, making Ichigo swoon a little with half shut eyes. "I do exist," said Cupid in a charming manner. He took Ichigo's hand and kissed the back of it. He smirked when Ichigo's breath stopped for a moment. "I am the god of love, Cupid," reassured he. "I can make love happen between any forms." He snapped his fingers, lowering Ichigo's body to the ground.

The god of love lowered himself as well, and his wings disappeared. "I don't take well to being called a myth," said Cupid, "so let's all reassure ourselves that I am the real deal." He gave a seductive look to Ichigo and said, "You of all, should know that I speak no lie." He chuckled when Ichigo blushed.

"Bullshit!" called out Nnoitra. He pulled up his zanpaktou and slung it forward in a challenging manner. "I don't believe in higher beings than myself." He jumped over the group and brought down his weapon upon Cupids head.

_This will definitely be fun_, thought Cupid. The movement Nnoitra moved in seemed incredibly slow to Cupid, so he brought up his hand and caught the blade at its edge with his thumb and forefinger. When Nnoitra cursed him, Cupid smiled and crushed the blade's edge with the same fingers.

Nnoitra jumped back with a shocked look. He stared at his blade with disbelief. "You bastard!" cursed Nnoitra. He jumped up and stuck his tongue out, creating a cero. "Cero!" he yelled, and the energy flashed at Cupid.

Again, Cupid saw the flash come at him in slow motion, so he stepped aside and appeared at Nnoitra's side. With a raised hand, Cupid slapped Nnoitra to the ground, creating a large crater the size of a lake. He lowered himself slowly to the ground and turned back to the group, who stood in awe at the god's power.

Cupid smile and reassured, "I did not kill him. It was only, as you humans call it, a love tap." He stepped toward the group and said, "You're all probably wondering why I'm here." The group nodded. Cupid smirked. "I'll show you."

The god of love pulled out his bow and an arrow. When he heard Nnoitra groan, he shivered with glee. Cupid appeared at Nnoitra's side, making sure everything was visible to the gazing group. He raised his arrow and slashed it across Nnoitra's chest.

"Son of a-" started Nnoitra. His outcry was interrupted by Cupid's foot to his face.

After appearing in front of the group, Cupid raised himself in the air as he strung his arrow. The white arrow had Nnoitra's blood on it. He looked for a target and spotted the maiden who fought the lanky man. Aiming for Nel, Cupid released his arrow.

"Nel!" cried Ichigo when he noticed the arrow was aimed for her. He tried to jump in the way to deflect the weapon, but he did not know that Cupid's bow was the fastest shooting weapon in the world. Ichigo was too late.

Nel grunted when the arrow pierced the upper left of her chest. She fell back onto the ground with a gasp.

All but Grimmjow rushed to Nel's side.

"Don't be sad," said Cupid twirling his bow in his hand.

Rukia looked back at the god and said, "That was uncalled for. She did nothing to harm you!" She blushed when Cupid blew a kiss her way. _Who the hell does he think he is? God or not, he shouldn't be shooting those who have done no harm! _Rukia mentally cursed. She patted Orihime's back, for the strawberry haired girl was starting to sniffle.

"She'll be up in no time," called Cupid. He heard Nnoitra still coloring his name with curses from the crater. He chuckled. Cupid pulled another arrow from his quiver and asked aloud, "Who's next?"

The group looked to him then to each other.

"I have a plan!" said Rukia to the group.

"What is it?" everyone including Grimmjow yelled.

Rukia yelled back, "Run like hell!" With that, she grabbed Orihime's hand and dashed away.

Ichigo and Grimmjow did the same.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! _Ichigo mentally chanted. He was flash stepping with his sword still at his side. "I can't be caught!" he said to himself. His eyes widened when Cupid appeared in front of him. "No!" he yelled. Ichigo turned his foot to make a cut past Cupid, but he was still to slow.

Cupid smiled and caught the other by the wrist. He pulled Ichigo to him and held him at the base of his back. "You're quite beautiful. Did you know that?" asked Cupid to the other, who blushed.

"I'm a guy!" he yelled in defense and began to push on Cupid's chest.

"Love knows no label," countered Cupid with a smirk. "In fact, one's beauty can become one's demise; such has happened to the beauty, Narcissus." He nuzzled the other's hair and he prepared to pierce Ichigo's skin with his arrow. Cupid's actions caused Ichigo lean in with lidded eyes. He chuckled to himself as he brought the arrow's tip across Ichigo's thigh.

"Ahhhhh!" yelped Ichigo. He was set down on the ground, for he felt exhausted. _Why do I feel so tired? _he asked himself. _That Cupid...is...a sort of pervert. _Ichigo took his time breathing as he lazed in the sand.

_Now where is that blue haired man?_ thought Cupid as he looked away from Ichigo's form. He spotted a blue blur running in the opposite direction.

Grimmjow was panting as he flashed away from the scene. _No way am I getting cut or pierced. That's bullshit! _he cursed to himself. He was near to nowhere, so Grimmjow wondered how to avoid contact at all costs. He felt the back of his neck get pinched; thus, he stopped his running. Grimmjow gulped and looked around frantically.

"Awwww," came Cupid's voice. "You're just like a kitten." When the other started thrashing about, so Cupid released him into the air.

"Bastard!" cursed Grimmjow as he regained his footing in the air. He turned to defend himself, but he was stopped by a painful feelings. He looked to his chest and saw a white arrow piercing the upper left of his chest. _Damn it! It hurts! It fucking burns like hell!_ cursed Grimmjow as he stared wide eyed at the arrow. He felt dizzy, so his eyes shut as he gasped.

Cupid caught the falling Espada and set him on the ground. _Such a pretty feline_, he thought as he gazed upon Grimmjow's face. "Now for the last two," said Cupid. He looked around and spotted the running girls not too far away._ These creatures are such fun_, thought Cupid. He quickly flashed over.

Rukia sensed the god getting closer to her and Orihime, so she quickly thought of a kidō spell to give her time to escape. When she felt the god come within close range, Rukia quickly turned with her arms outstretched. She chanted, "Bakudō-" Rukia was cut off by a hand trapping her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear as she looked into Cupid's eyes.

"No binding spells," said Cupid. He released the girl's mouth and gave her a seductive look, making the girl go limp with interest. "Now be a good girl," said Cupid, "and stay still." He pulled out another arrow.

Orihime noticed that Rukia was no longer with her, so she turned to see Cupid caressing Rukia's face. "Oh no!" panicked Orihime. "Rukia!" She watched as Cupid slashed Rukia's abdomen with his white arrow; thus making the girl drop to the ground. _Oh no! What should I do? _Orihime asked herself. _How shall I help Rukia. Why does this Cupid torment us? _

Cupid looked in Orihime's direction, and he admired the worry in the girl's face. He placed the arrow on his bow and aimed for the frozen girl. He smiled as he released the projectile weapon. When the girl flew back in the air with the arrow sticking out of her heart, Cupid put his bow away. _Time for the fun to really begin_, thought Cupid.

The god then appeared back by a pillar. He snapped his fingers twice, making the unconscious group and the tired group appear before him. The unconscious group was laid out in a neat row, while the tired group was disordered in its own way.

"You bastard!" cursed Nnoitra. "How dare you-" He was cut off by Cupid's touch to his cheekbone. When Cupid's thumb tracked his cheek lovingly, Nnoitra blushed and looked away.

"That's better," said Cupid in a loving tone. He walked away until he was in front of both groups. He directed his attention toward the conscious group and announced, "You probably don't like what I did to you, but I assure you that you will love it." The angry looks he got told him otherwise. _Their expressions are so fun_, thought Cupid.

"The whole point of this is to amuse me," said Cupid.

"Jerk!" yelled Ichigo. His face was flushed with anger and frustration. Cupid made a quick move to trace his chin lovingly. His face turned red, so he looked away and said, "Stop doing that."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Cupid as he crossed his arms. He looked to the rest of the group and said, "I shall explain everything. I am not putting you through this to punish you, even though you all looked intent on killing each other thoroughly." Cupid gestured toward the unconscious group and said, "They'll wake up on my command."

Cupid announced the assigned persons. "Young Rukia, your challenge is Orihime. Master Nnoitra, your challenge is Neliel. Master Ichigo, your challenge is Grimmjow."

"When you say challenge, what do you mean?" asked Rukia with a raised eyebrow.

The god chuckled. _Amusing, indeed_, mused Cupid. He replied, "When I say challenge, I mean lover." He heard shocked gasps. "Now you're probably wondering a bunch of nonsense regarding gender and position, but I assure you, as I have told Ichigo, love knows no labels. Thus, you should all think of this as a benefit to you more than me. I'm giving you all a gift of sorts. I shall reward the one who completes his or her challenge successfully."

He looked at the group's faces and noticed shock was still there. "The reward," he said to distract himself from their faces, "is what ever you want. A favor of sorts if that's what you want to call it."

"Whoa. A favor?" asked Nnoitra. He was rubbing his head in confusion. He still couldn't believe this was all happening.

"Yes," answered Cupid. "I must warn you all, though. When these people awake to you, they will already be in love with their respective blood donors. You must know that love is fragile and easy to manipulate; thus, you should be careful about what you say to your respective lover. Their hearts are also fragile, while your hearts are still stable. Any results in the opposite of love will earn a fight with Aries for abusing my gift."

With those last words, Cupid snapped his fingers, causing the sleepers to awaken. "Good luck," he said in a dark tone. His wings appeared, then he vanished.

Rukia, Ichigo, and Nnoitra looked at eachother then at the awaken people. All rose to their feet, except the ones who woke up.

"Nnoitra," sang a sweet voice.

Nnoitra gulped and looked to the source of the sound. He saw Nel blushing and holding out her hand to him. "Hey there, Nel," said Nnoitra with caution. _This is the same crazy bitch who tried to stop me from being stronger. The same crazy bitch who tried to kill me right now. Damn it! She's blushing and stuff. How the hell do I deal with this?_

"Nnoitra, my love, come. Help me up," said Nel in a sweet tone. Her eyes glittered shyly as Nnoitra cautiously walked over and helped up the girl. The result was surprise kiss on the nose; as a result, Nnoitra had to turn away due to his super red face.

"Rukia!" called Orihime. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and her eyes were looking up shyly. "Hey, Rukia. You look really pretty today."

"Uh um... Thanks, Orihime," said Rukia as she rubbed the back of her head. _Oh man, I'm scared. I don't know what to do. How do I fall in love with a friend? This is super weird!_ She walked over and helped Orihime to her feet. "How are you feeling, Orihime?" asked Rukia.

"Much better now that you're here," gushed Orihime as she gave Rukia a huge hug, making the smaller girl groan in pain.

Grimmjow got to his feet and rubbed at his chest. When he saw Ichigo looking at him, Grimmjow blushed and said, "My chest feels weird."

_We're both guys! _thought Ichigo. _How does this work? I don't even like guys. Damn it all! Damn you, Cupid! Man, I don't know what to do. How do I do this? How do I do this with the enemy? _Ichigo put on his best smile and looked at Grimmjow. "Maybe your heart is saying hello to you," said Ichigo. He didn't want to make Grimmjow cry or pissed off or any other emotion that made things go downward.

"Hmmm," hummed Grimmjow. "I think you're right, but my chest is all fluttery." He looked up at Ichigo and gave a charming smile. "I think it's 'cause you're pretty, Ichigo," said Grimmjow with a smirk. He waltzed up toward Ichigo and draped his arms on the other's shoulders. "I like you, Ichigo," stated Grimmjow as he buried his face in Ichigo's neck. "Mmmm. You smell nice, too." He gave Ichigo's neck light kisses until he buried his nose in Ichigo's hair.

Ichigo blushed at the action. _Please, stop_, thought Ichigo as Grimmjow continued to hug him.

Nnoitra, Rukia, and Ichigo all looked at eachother and were thinking the same thing: this was really awkward.

"What do we do now?" asked Nnoitra.

**Author's note:**

**Lol! Classic Nnoitra question. Not a classic? Well it is now. Hahaha!**

**What do you all think? Please tell me. I was super excited writing this. :)**


	2. Game Plan

**Hola,**

**Thanks to all those who alerted, favorited, or reviewed this story. I was hoping you all would take a liking to it 'cause I really wanted write this for both your and my amusement. Please read on.**

**Chapter Two: Game Plan**

Rukia was reclined in her position on Orihime's sofa. The fluffy cushions were sucking in her small form. After moving about for a more comfortable and stable position, she decided to stand. The shinigami looked back at the sofa and frowned.

"Am I really that small?" she said aloud to herself. Rukia put her hands on her hips, but they were removed when she heard a shuffle from the other side of the front room wall. Rukia sighed, for she knew that Orihime was doing something in the kitchen. "What am I doing here?" she whispered to herself. _Oh! Right! _Rukia's inner thoughts countered._ I'm here for a damn challenge. Orihime isn't a challenge, though. She seems so "down to earth" still. What challenge is Cupid really talking about? _After pouting to herself, Rukia thought, _I still can't believe I'm here with Orihime, who's totally in love with me for the reason of being pierced by a godly weapon. Damn Cupid and his frilly bow! Well, I guess I couldn't avoid this then. _

Rukia recalled being dragged to her current location via a choke hold by Orihime's arms, which didn't go unaccompanied by the smothering of Orihime's breasts. She blushed at the thought. Rukia didn't want to know what Orihime wanted to do, for the strawberry haired girl failed to say what was planned. She felt goosebumps race up her body as she thought of the possible reason Orihime brought her there. _Please don't tell me she likes to do girly crap! _panicked Rukia. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a shuffle of footsteps coming toward her.

When Rukia looked up, her mouth dropped in both horror and embarrassment. Here eyes dilated until her cheeks were too small to fit on her face. _Oh my-_ She was cut off by Orihime's sweet voice.

"Hello, Rukia," greeted Orihime in a seductive purr. The strawberry haired girl was dressed in a bikini. The top only had enough room to cover the lower half of Orihime's breast, leaving a possibility that her nipples would burst out. The bottoms were decently covering its respective area. The straps for both pieces were more lacey than stringy. The most daunting of the outfit was the chappy the bunny graciously placed on the crotch, rear, and both breasts.

"Do you like it?" asked Orihime. She twirled. Then her eyes popped open in realization as she chirped, "Oh! I almost forgot something." Orihime turned and ran back into the kitchen. She came back into the front room within five seconds with a box in her hands. Her hair billowed about her frame as she stopped directly in front of Rukia. With a delighted giggle, Orihime opened the box to reveal strawberries covered in chocolate.

Rukia's left eye twitched. _This can't be happening! _she screamed inwardly. After taking in a deep breath, Rukia said, "Orihime, I need you to stay here." When the other agreed to do as told, Rukia flashed away from Orihime's home. She needed to get to a more private place. _I recognize those actions! _thought Rukia. _Those actions are the clue. I know what the challenge is, and I need to tell Ichigo. _

As Rukia was busy trying to deal with Orihime, Nnoitra was relaxing in his room in Hueco Mundo. He wasn't called to any meetings all day, and he didn't have the spirit to fight. His thoughts were concentrated on the god of love, Cupid. The god befuddled him; Nnoitra didn't know how to grasp the situation he was in. Everything seemed so wrong. Nel was wrong.

_Speaking of Nel_, thought Nnoitra, _where is she? _He looked around his large room, for he recalled allowing the girl to enter his chambers. After sighing in frustration, Nnoitra decided to focus on the mirror across from his white bed. He noticed a shadow move in the background, so Nnoitra focused on the figure. His eye opened wide when he noticed it was Nel.

With a mouth open to begin scolding for disappearing, Nnoitra stood as large and threatening as possible. Although he meant to give the girl a piece of his mind, Nnoitra couldn't help but turn extremely red. His eye was wide, no blinks available to ensure a full understanding of the sight he was witnessing.

Nel was shamelessly standing by his bed with his jacket on. The jacket barely managed to cover her breasts, and it didn't do a great job of covering most of her legs. Not only did she stand there shamelessly, Nel had her zanpaktou in her hand. She was twirling the blade with her left hand as she gazed at him with, what Nnoitra saw as, some sort of sick emotion.

"Nel?" asked Nnoitra. He really didn't want to hurt the girl, but he was tempted to swing his zanpaktou at her. Her actions, so far, were frustrating Nnoitra, for he didn't understand anything. He did note that his reactions pleased the girl, but he didn't know how to react to this. _For cryin' out loud! She's not even wearing pants! _Nnoitra yelled in his mind. After swallowing a nervous lump, he asked, "What are you doing in my jacket, and why are you armed? You're practically nude, and there aren't any threats here." He crossed his long arms.

"Oh," said Nel with downcast eyes. "I didn't mean to make you mad, Nnoitra." She lifted her gaze to Nnoitra, causing the Espada to take a step back.

_She's smiling? _Nnoitra asked himself. _Of all reactions, she should be cursing me for being rude. I fuckin' called her naked. Well, it wasn't much of an insult, but that doesn't help with the fact that Nel is smiling... Now she's walking towards me. _Nnoitra didn't like the way Nel was approaching him. He backed up, but he realized that he was showing weakness. Nnoitra still remembered Cupid mentioning her as a challenge, so he instantly decided to stop in his tracks.

"You're so handsome, Nnoitra," said Nel as she approached with a swing of her hips. She raised her weapon and leaned forward. She felt her breasts lean outward more, but she didn't pay any mind to it. She was focused on Nnoitra and his body's reactions to her. With a lick of her lips, Nel darted forward to attack a weaponless Nnoitra.

Nnoitra pursed his lips. _I thought this bitch was supposed to be all hypnotized and shit. Hypnotized idiots don't attack the ones they see standin' around_,Nnoitra spat inwardly. He dodged a swipe at his arm. _That was a half ass move_, thought Nnoitra. _Unless. _He stopped the next attack by grabbing Nel's wrist.

The girl smiled and released the blade from her captured wrist. She then jumped and wrapped her appendages around Nnoitra, causing the Espada to stumble. Nel secured her free arm around Nnoitra's neck and kissed him with all her passion.

After feeling the girl secure herself on him, Nnoitra thought, _This isn't happening! What is she doing? She's kissing me, duh, but what the hell! _When Nel moved on to kissing his neck, Nnoitra quickly went to his bed and tried to drop her, but the girl wouldn't let go. He felt Nel pull on him with her weight, but he refused to be dragged down.

Nel frowned against Nnoitra's neck. _He won't fall_, she inwardly complained. She redoubled her pull; as a result, she fell under Nnoitra on his bed. Keeping her legs secured around Nnoitra's waist, Nel started to undo his jacket.

"What are you doing?" asked Nnoitra aloud. He was blushing madly at all the sensitive touches and play. He tried to pull away, but he was kept down. _Fuck! _he cursed. _I can't believe I have to do this. _Nnoitra trailed his hands down Nel's sides until he reached her thighs. He placed his hands on the inside of Nel's thighs and pushed her legs apart. Nnoitra was surprised that the girl opened her legs so willingly to him, but he recovered from the surprise and quickly pulled away.

"Come here, my love," called Nel with a gentle voice. She started to undo the jacket she wore while still keeping her legs open. Her body was covered in a light shade of red.

Nnoitra gulped again. He did his best to keep eye contact with the girl, for he did not want to look lower than her chin. When he noticed Nel was ready to pull the jacket apart, he held up his hands for her to pause. "Hold that move!" panicked Nnoitra. He quickly ran from his room, but he popped his head back in to say, "Stay there. I'll be back." Nnoitra was squealing with embarrassment as he ran down the halls. As he ran, Nnoitra cursed, "Where the fuck is Grimmjow's room?"

At the time Nnoitra was shocked by Nel's appearance, Ichigo was fidgeting in his seat. He wished he could go back in time and run away through the portal to his world, but he couldn't. He was trying not to be nervous, but he was tied about the way to solve his problem. The uncomfortable situation was probably due to the fact he was literally tied up.

_I understand that he doesn't want me to leave, but this is ridiculous! _Ichigo inwardly complained. He started to squirm around in his bounds, but his attempts were in vain. The spiritual bounds held fast to his wrists and legs. _Of all fuckin' chairs to be tied to_, thought Ichigo, _I had to be tied to a metal folding chair. _

Ichigo's arms were secured to the backrest of the chair, while his legs were uncomfortably tied to the legs. He noticed that only his midsection and knees were mobile. He cursed himself for allowing Grimmjow's eyes and voice to get to him, and he cursed that he let Grimmjow walk behind him. All he could remember was watching Grimmjow slink behind him. He thought that the other would just hug him from behind, but he was knocked out with a blow to the back of the head.

"Damn rope, energy, things!" Ichigo growled to himself as he looked over his shoulder to see his wrists. After one more harsh tug, Ichigo slumped in his seat and sighed. _Since I'm stuck here, I might as well try to figure out what Grimmjow's up to. _Ichigo sat up and decided to look around for clues. He didn't think Grimmjow would leave him here for no reason; he just wished he woke up in time to ask Grimmjow before the blue douchebag decided to leave.

The room was of no help to Ichigo. The bed was there in its uniformly white glory, and the floor was no different. The walls were tall and white, and the furniture was white. Even the folding chair was white.

"Is everything white in here?" Ichigo asked himself aloud. He decided to just listen, instead. After patiently waiting a few minutes, Ichigo heard footsteps coming from the other end of the room. He looked there and noticed another white door. _How conveniently obvious_, Ichigo grumbled from his seat. His eyes shot open when Grimmjow entered his view.

Grimmjow saw Ichigo's shocked expression, so he grinned back in a cocky manner. "Like the view, Ichigo?" asked Grimmjow in a low, husky voice. He was hauling a radio on his shoulder when he entered the area. Grimmjow had taken the liberty of going to the human world and picking up a few provisions for his new lover. He went to his dresser and set the radio down.

Ichigo swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. _Is that leather? _he asked himself. He blushed when Grimmjow kissed the air in his direction and turned around for the other to drink in. _Yup. That's leather_, Ichigo reassured himself as he continued to observe the other.

The blue haired Espada was wearing black leather pants that fit him tightly but allowed enough movement. Buckles and straps were draped around the pant legs. One huge belt buckle adorned Grimmjow's manly crotch; the buckle was the shape of a hollow mask, which looked a lot like Ichigo's mask. This observation caused Ichigo to shiver with goosebumps.

In addition to the fancy pants, Grimmjow wore black heavy boots that also had buckles. The heel of the boot only rose an inch off of the ground, adding to Grimmjow's six-foot-one figure. His pectorals and abs rippled under a fishnet shirt with no undershirt to hide the flesh. The shirt was torn in a few places, allowing his viewer to peek at pure perfection. Grimmjow didn't skip out on gloves that only covered his palm and wrist.

Grimmjow's attire didn't stop at the gloves. He also made sure to put on a collar with "sexta" written in silver letters. On his ears, were black piercings at the lobe and ear flap. There was also one more piercing, which was located on his tongue. The tongue ring was a blue ball that stemmed from the middle of the tongue on a silver stream.

Ichigo was speechless at the end of his observations. _He looks like a punk or something_, thought Ichigo. _But he looks so good in it. Why did he go through all of this trouble to look like this and get a radio. _Ichigo's eyes blinked when realization hit him. _I've always wanted this_, thought Ichigo. _Not Grimmjow, but this in general. I've always wanted a girl who looked so bad and good. I've wanted to love a girl who could strip for me before our night together on our honeymoon. This... This is too awkward and fast for my pace. I wanted to do this with someone I love, not someone that falsely loves me. Did my blood somehow give him the ability to understand my interests or desires? All of which could- _His thoughts were interrupted by a sound of a click.

He looked up and saw Grimmjow working the radio with a focused face. He saw a CD enter a open flap, which was closed right after the CD clicked into place. Before Grimmjow could press the play button, Ichigo made him pause his movements.

"Grimmjow," called Ichigo with uncertainty. He held his breath when Grimmjow looked at him. "Uhm," muttered he. He swallowed nervously and forced out, "What are you doing? Why are you doing this?"

Grimmjow just smiled and answered, "I'm going to entertain you, and I'm doing this because I love you." With those words, he pressed the play button. Grimmjow turned himself toward Ichigo as the song "O.M.G" by Usher started.

_Crap! My favorite song! _Ichigo thought. He sat back in his seat to portray both fear and nervousness.

The other just chuckled and started to sway his hips. As the song progressed Grimmjow started to strip his clothing. The first piece that came off was his fishnet shirt. After stripping off the net, he twirled it about a little as his hips continued to make provocative thrusts and twists. He flung the shirt aside and seductively approached his lover.

Grimmjow got onto his knees and put his hands on Ichigo's knees. He moved Ichigo's knees about as he continued to sway to the music. After opening Ichigo's knees as wide as possible, he moved his hands towards Ichigo's chest and ripped open the top, exposing the other's chest. After appreciating the lewd exposure of Ichigo's body, Grimmjow licked Ichigo's skin from the base of his torso to his ear. He then turned and started to grind against Ichigo's crotch with his rear end.

Ichigo held his breath. He didn't want to respond to Grimmjow's provocative moves. _When will the song be over? _he inwardly complained. He blushed when Grimmjow stood and ripped off his pants with ease. His eyes were wide as they stared at the baby blue speedo like cloth. His chin was pulled upward by a gloved hand to look at Grimmjow, who twisted his hips as he sat on Ichigo's lap and ground against him.

The blue haired stripper traced his free hand up Ichigo's chest. When the other gasped at the touch to his pectoral, Grimmjow gave Ichigo a harsh kiss. He made sure to taste every bit of the other, who was still struggling inwardly against all of the touches.

The song had come to a stop, but Grimmjow continued to kiss the unwilling lover beneath him. He was about to start kissing the other's chest when Nnoitra burst in. Grimmjow turned his head away. When he saw the intruder, he growled, "Get out!" He got to his feet and crossed his arms as he glared.

"Shut up!" yelled Nnoitra pointing to Grimmjow. He looked at Ichigo and yelled, "We need to talk!" Grimmjow came to him to argue, but Nnoitra just said, "I didn't know that you were a stripper."

Grimmjow's eyebrows shot up. He looked at himself then replied, "Fuck off, Nnoitra!" First, he turned off the radio. Then, he turned away in anger and waltzed toward his wardrobe to find his better clothing.

Nnoitra cackled as he walked to Ichigo and freed the poor shinigami. He grabbed Ichigo's upper arm and pulled him into the hallway. After they were a good distance from Grimmjow's room, Nnoitra stopped and turned Ichigo around. "She's scarin' me," started Nnoitra, "and I have no idea what's going on. That Cupid guy is an asshole for leavin' us without any clues of what to do."

Ichigo sighed and shrugged Nnoitra's hands off. He quickly fixed his uniform and took in a few deep breaths. Apparently, recovering from Grimmjow's stripping was harder than he thought. "I think I know what's going on," he said. Before he could say another thing, his cell phone went off in his pocket. He held up a finger to Nnoitra as he pulled out the small device and flipped the top open. An eyebrow shot up. "Rukia's calling," he said aloud. He clicked the answer button and answered, "Yo."

"What's that?" asked Nnoitra pointing to the phone. He peered closely at the device with his good eye.

Ichigo covered the speaker piece and answered, "It's a phone. I can talk to people with it." He uncovered the mouthpiece and said, "Rukia. What's going on?"

"Ichigo! I know what the big challenge is!" came Rukia's voice. She sounded excited.

Ichigo put the phone on speaker. "I think I know, too," he answered. Before he could say what the challenge was, Nnoitra rudely cut him off.

"What the hell? Ya greedy bastards! Fill me in here!" demanded Nnoitra. He crossed his arms.

"Is that the tall Espada?" asked Rukia.

"My name's Nnoitra!" growled he toward the little phone.

"Don't yell at the phone like that," scolded Ichigo.

"Shut up!" yelled Rukia from the speaker. After she heard the other two were settled down, she said, "The challenge is to fall in love."

Nnoitra went still. He looked from the phone to Ichigo. "What's love?" he asked.

Ichigo and Rukia both hit their foreheads and sighed.

"What?" asked Nnoitra with an innocent shrug of his shoulders. _It's not like I should know all human emotions. _

"You tell him," said Rukia. She sat on the roof, knowing this conversation might take a while. She covered her other ear to block out all noises, so she could focus more on the call.

"Well," started Ichigo, "when two people or Espada get together, they discover things about each other. After some time, the two will start to admire the things about one another; thus, they develop a strong connection called love." He looked at the tall Espada for understanding, but the other seemed to be on an entirely different train.

_Love? Love, love, love, love_, pondered the Espada as he rocked on his heels. Then he blinked with a sense of realization. "Like the way I like to tear down the weak," said Nnoitra as he balled his hand into a fist with a smile. He imagined himself crushing a lower Arrancar than himself.

"Sure, but the feeling is more happy," replied Ichigo when he saw the malicious look on Nnoitra's face. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Rukia. "How did you find out the challenge?"

Rukia blushed and answered, "Well... Orihime did something that I've always wanted to do with a type of guy I love." She sighed and continued, "I love strong men who wear swim trunks. It's a fantasy of mine to have that special guy treat me like a queen with chocolate strawberries... And Orihime came to me in a bathing suit with chocolate strawberries."

"That ain't so bad," commented Nnoitra. _Seriously? About a girl being hot?_

"That was so embarrassing!" countered Rukia. "It's like she knows me from the inside and out!" She was leaning up and staring furiously at the phone. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously.

"At least she didn't have your jacket on without pants, and she didn't jump you in your room!" rebuddled Nnoitra just as viciously. He was shaking his fist at the phone as he thought, _Fuckin' dumb bitch!_

Ichigo sighed and said, "Are you two children?" When the two stopped bickering, he continued, "I think the blood Cupid used on the others is what's making this all happen. Come on. Think about it. Our blood is in their hearts."

"That's true!" agreed Rukia. _The logic makes so much sense. So Orihime does know a lot about me._

After nodding his head, Ichigo wanted to change the subject to now. He honestly didn't want to endure another mind reading, so he said, "We gotta figure this all out. I'm not sure about you two, but it'll be hard to fall in love in my position." He heard Nnoitra and Rukia agree at the same time. "We need a plan, guys. I'm talking about a literal plan for today because I don't want to go back to Grimmjow's room."

"I don't even want to go to my room," said Nnoitra as he placed his hands on his hips.

"At least Nel is the opposite gender of you," said Rukia. _I won't be sympathetic to an guy who got it easy! _Her expression was bored and unsympathetic.

"There's more to this than gender!" growled Nnoitra going to eye level with the phone. He wanted to yell about all of the times Nel made a fool out of him in the past.

Ichigo quickly withdrew the phone and stated, "Why don't we all go on a triple date tonight? The date will be all three of us, and we don't have to witness embarrassing stunts." He saw a look of confusion come upon Nnoitra's face and thought, _Great! He doesn't know what a date is. I guess I'm gonna have to explain that to Grimmjow later... Damn it, Cupid! You really suck!_

Rukia smiled at the thought. She looked around herself, making sure Orihime wasn't in hearing range, and replied with a squeal, "I'm in. Where are we going?"

"What's a date?" came Nnoitra's voice.

Rukia slapped her forehead again and groaned. _Who is this guy? _she mentally asked.

"Where people hang out," Ichigo quickly informed. His eyes went back to the phone and he asked, "Where do you want to go?"

The girl thought about all of the possible restaurants. She considered the movies, but she thought that hollows might not be interested in human films. "How about that-" Rukia started.

"Hello!" jumped in Nnoitra. "I'm an Espada. People won't see me, meaning Kurosaki would be looking like an idiot with just you two." He smiled cleverly when Rukia and Ichigo groaned at the misthought. _I swear I think I'm smarter than these two_, thought Nnoitra.

"I'll call Urahara," said Rukia. "Send me pictures of the Espada."

"Won't he deny your request?" asked Ichigo. He knew what the other wanted to do: ask for gigais.

"I don't know. Only one way to find out," replied Rukia with a shrug.

Nnoitra groaned and cut in, "Why don't we do something on our own time? Like set up this 'date' ourselves." His eye narrowed at Ichigo.

"You're making me wonder who you really are," said Ichigo with a frown. He looked back at the phone and said, "I think Nnoitra's idea will go more smoothly. We'll still be in three, and the others won't try anything sneaky." _Please, no more stripping_, he mentally begged.

Rukia tapped her chin, then she answered, "Okay. Picnic in Hueco Mundo. See ya in an hour." She clicked the hang up button. Rukia knew that was a hasty decision, but she wanted to get back to Orihime. She didn't want to make herself look like some ditcher.

As Rukia prepared to tell Orihime about the date, Nnoitra and Ichigo looked at each other. They shrugged and agreed that the picnic in an hour would make great timing. Nnoitra went his separate way to get Nel, while Ichigo went back to Grimmjow's room.

Back in Olympus...

Cupid watched in amusement at the cloud he produced. The cloud acted like a large television set for him. He had witnessed all three love-free souls struggling with what to do.

"They figured out my challenge," said Cupid in an amused tone. He shook his head and remembered all of the tortures the three went through. _Messing with souls is definitely fun_, thought he as he continued to lounge on his pillows. He laughed when he heard Nnoitra punch his name with curses again.

_Don't worry, you silly creatures_, mused Cupid. _You will all feel the love. _

**Hahaha! I hope you all liked that chapter. **

**I had fun writing this. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to do this. :)**


	3. Picnic Date Gone Wrong

**Again, thanks for supporting my writing. **

**Warning: Violence!**

**Chapter Three: Picnic Date Gone Wrong**

Cupid was lounging on the front steps of his home as he watched the spirits through his cloud. His laughter drew the attention of passing gods, but he didn't mind the glares sent his way. When another amusing image appeared, Cupid had to cover his mouth to conceal the laughter that threatened the peace and quiet of Olympus.

"What has your gut blowing up?" asked a passing god.

The god of love took in a deep breath and sat upright. He waved himself with his right hand and identified the other, who turned out to be Ares. "Ah, Ares. How do you do on this fine day? As for my bursting laughter, I have been watching ones who were unfortunate to catch my eye," answered Cupid in an amused tone. He leaned back on his hands as he gazed back at the floating cloud.

The god of war adjusted his position, so he could peek at the cloud that had Cupid's attention. His golden armor rattled as he moved over. He quickly removed his golden helm, which released falls of black hair, to properly gaze at the cloud's image. His red eyes gazed upon the image of focused beings. Without asking for permission, Ares sat down beside Cupid and became interested in the beings.

"Humans?" asked Ares to Cupid. _These beings look funny for humans_, thought he. He placed his helmet beside himself and leaned on it comfortably with his arm.

Cupid chuckled. "No, Ares," he replied with a proud smile. "I no longer have interest in the humans. Those ungrateful bags of flesh have become less believing of us, and they aren't as fun to manipulate as they used to be." With his left hand held out toward the cloud, Cupid looked at Ares and continued, "These are spirits. From what I have learned so far, the spirits in black robes are soul reapers, and the spirits in white robes are hollows. These soul reapers engage the hollows in battle to save the soul within. Though, the souls do not descend to Hades in the Underworld. Instead, the souls ascend to Soul Society. Right now, the hollows and soul reapers are at war."

Ares eyebrows shot up when he heard "battle" and "war" from Cupid's mouth. He never thought the other would even mention such matters. The god of war smiled and responded, "'War,' you say? How amusing that spirits can engage in such activities. How does their war include you, Cupid?" His red eyes shifted toward his companion, who was, again, leaning backwards.

Without taking his eyes off of the cloud, Cupid replied, "I did not find out about their war until after I met the spirits. At first, I was looking to challenge something that does not require our everyday guidance due to lack of wit; thus, I met the spirits. After I returned, I looked up some of the past with the Sisters of Fate, and I found that these two types of spirits were engaged in a war. I also found that I paired some enemies."

Cupid smiled as he finished, "The challenge is to fall in love with his or her lover."

"My, my, Cupid," mumbled Ares as he continued to look at the cloud, "you have certainly outdone yourself. I would have never thought of manipulating spirits." After shifting to sit up, he added, "Now that I know my element is in the fray, this should be very interesting."

"Ares," called Cupid.

"Hm?" mumbled Ares as he looked at the other.

"I hope you don't mind battling the pair that descends into hatred," stated Cupid. "I threatened them with your anger should they abuse my gift." He smiled when he saw the orange haired spirit become frustrated with the black haired hollow.

"I don't mind at all," said Ares as he looked back at the screen. _Interesting how Cupid volunteers my service without my permission in the first place. Despite the odd situation, I find that battling a hated pair of spirits would be quite interesting_, he thought as he patted his sheathed sword.

Cupid heard the patting on Ares's sword, so he sighed happily. _On with the show_, he mused.

When Cupid was confirming his plan with Ares, Ichigo was growing more and more frustrated. He didn't know whether to move his pawn or his rook. The chances of either piece being taken and becoming completely defenseless were very large for him. Ichigo tapped his chin as he stared at the pieces.

"Any time now," stated Nnoitra in a bored tone. He yawned with his arms raised above his head. When he came back down from yawning, he rested his head on his left hand as he sat forward. He had his legs crossed in front of him, looking like a large pretzel in front of the chess board. _Like I thought before_, started Nnoitra in his mind, _I think I'm smarter than the average shinigami. _

"Aha!" announced Ichigo with a declaratory finger in the air. He brought his hand down and moved his horse. With a smile, he looked up and said, "I now have my king protected, and your king is now in check." Ichigo crossed his arms in triumph. As Nnoitra pondered about his next move, Ichigo changed his attention toward the others.

Rukia had gotten stuck babysitting the love struck group. She was trying hard not to scream from all of the gossip going on between Orihime and Nel. She didn't mind Grimmjow, though, for the Espada had decided to take a midday nap.

_This is the most awkward date I've ever been to_, thought Rukia as she stared between Orihime's and Nel's babbles and laughter. _Wait! _thought she with a finger to her lips. _I've never been on a date. Oh, man. I'm so lonely... Well, Orihime's here, but that's not the point! _The girl stared at the large blanket as her lower lip stuck out.

"Rukia," called Orihime. She noticed the pouting girl, so she decided to ask, "Are you okay?" Her large eyes were entirely focused on Rukia's face. Orihime set her hand on Rukia's shoulder and said, "Please, don't be sad."

Nel joined in by setting herself next to Rukia. "What's the matter, Rukia?" she asked as she draped her arm around Rukia's shoulder.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Rukia. "I'm fine." She crossed her arms and glared at the blanket to avoid looking at the bigger women. _Please, don't start fussing. Please, don't start fussing_, Rukia begged.

"Someone needs a hug," declared Orihime with a smile. She looked at Nel, who nodded her head. She counted to three with her fingers. When she stopped on three, both she and Nel gave Rukia the biggest hug they could muster.

_Oh shit! _Rukia screamed in her mind. She felt her little frame get covered by both women's chests and arms. Only her head survived the choke hold. Just as she was about to scream for help, Ichigo had yelled out in anger.

"How the hell did you win?" Ichigo exclaimed as he looked at the chess board in horror. There was his king, checkmated by Nnoitra's two queens and rook. _If I had known Nnoitra was diabolical genius at chess, I wouldn't have made that damn bet_, he thought.

"Ya know what to do," said Nnoitra with a smirk. He scooted the chess board aside and stood up. "I beat ya fair and square...surprisingly, so pay up, strawberry," announced Nnoitra with glee. _This is so great_, he thought. _That's the benefit of being smarter than the shinigami. Pft. Chess is child's play. That's why the real war is the more fun thing. _When Ichigo crossed his arms, Nnoitra added, "Just be happy I didn't challenge ya to a real battle. My ears would fall off if I did. Grimmjow would just keep bitchin' and bitchin' and be all sad. Then Aizen would make me become his real friend, and then Cupid would probably have my ass for cheating. Eh! I can't take all that. I'd rather let you live."

"I dislike you at the moment," replied Ichigo as he reached for his jacket. He opened it up and pulled out his share of the chocolate that Rukia bought. He handed the bag over to Nnoitra, who fist pumped after taking the bag. _Damn cocky bastard_, he thought with a scowl. When Nnoitra danced and rubbed the victory in his face, Ichigo's right eye twitched. _He does have a point, though. Cupid wouldn't seem too happy if one of his toys went missing. _

"Thinking about my victory?" asked Nnoitra as he picked out some of the chocolate. With a flick of his fingers, the chocolate landed on Nnoitra's long tongue and vanished in his mouth. "That was good," he sighed after swallowing the chocolate.

_Damn prick! _Ichigo growled in his mind. _Despite the fact that we are amidst a challenge, he still acts like a douchebag. I'll show him!_ With the declaration to give Nnoitra a piece of his mind, Ichigo challenged, "I think this would have turned out better if we fought."

"Yup. You would end up in the ground with my weapon lodged in your back," replied Nnoitra with a malicious grin. He swallowed another piece of chocolate. _Methinks the strawberry is not happy. Hahahaha! Just wait for it, Nnoitra._

"No," countered Ichigo as he crossed his arms. "The result would be me picking out the chocolate from your pocket as you laid upon the ground with my sword pinning you by your hollow hole." _Nnoitra's a pugnacious bastard. I know he'll take the bait_, thought Ichigo. A smile crept on his face when Nnoitra stared at him with squinted eyes.

"Ya sure about that, shinigami?" questioned Nnoitra. His maniacal grin had gone down to a frown. He re-knotted the bag of chocolate and placed it in his pocket. _That strawberry got one hell of a mouth. When I'm finished with him, he'll be using his zanpaktou to try to fix it._

"Very sure," growled Ichigo. _Come on, Nnoitra. Come on, you stupid, cocky, tall, retarded Espada. Do something_, he mentally beckoned. To further aggravate Nnoitra, Ichigo set out his palm faced upward and bent his fingers, gesturing for Nnoitra to come at him. Nnoitra's face twisted into one of anger, and Ichigo saw this. _Hook, line, and sinker!_

Nnoitra picked up his zanpaktou and ran for Ichigo, who was surprised Nnoitra would go straight for weapon to weapon combat. With a powerful swing, Nnoitra brought down his Santa Teresa upon Ichigo's form.

Seeing the attack, Ichigo brought up Zangetsu to block the swing. When Santa Teresa collided with Zangetsu, Ichigo had been brought down to one knee. He looked up at Nnoitra, who looked more bloodthirsty than intended.

Using the momentum at hand, Nnoitra held his weapon down firmly with both hands. He started to laugh, making his rank tattoo show more. _I'm sure Cupid wouldn't mind if I messed with this one. If he dies, then oh well_, thought Nnoitra. He poked out his tongue and muttered, "Cero."

Brown eyes widened at the golden ball forming at the tip of Nnoitra's tongue. _Shit! _panicked Ichigo. He quickly dislodged his weapon and flashed out of the cero's range. His skin was filling up with goose bumps, and sweat was starting to form on his brow. He looked back and thought, _Maybe the hollow hole part of my taunt was too much?_

Ichigo gaped when Nnoitra flashed from his original position and appeared in front of him. When he turned his head, his face was met with the back of Nnoitra's hand.

"Ha! I don't even need Santa Teresa to tear you apart!" taunted Nnoitra. He knew that he was playing in dangerous waters. The thought of Cupid's fury bugged him, but the thought of letting a shinigami get away with such taunts was intolerable. _He thinks he can get away with that shit? I don't think so!_ he cursed within.

The orange haired shinigami flew backward after Nnoitra backhanded him. His body hit the ground a few time before it rolled to a complete stop. Ichigo groaned as he lifted himself with his arms. _Time to take it up a notch_, he declared. With a strong push, Ichigo was able to lift himself onto his knees, then he ascended to his feet. He brought up Zangetsu and pointed it at Nnoitra, who was laughing at his weak state. He grabbed his arm and hastily shouted, "Bankai!"

Nnoitra stopped laughing when a huge wave of spiritual energy hit him. He dug Santa Teresa into the ground to steady himself. He squinted past the blowing sand to see only the black wall of spiritual energy surrounding Ichigo. _Bastard was holdin' out on me_, Nnoitra noted.

When the large spiritual walls disappeared, Ichigo stood proudly in his black robes. A determined scowl was set on his face. He thrust his black sword upward and pointed it at Nnoitra. "Your move," growled he with a grin.

"Cocky bastard! A bankai don't make you any stronger than me! I can still wipe the floor with you!" yelled Nnoitra. _He'll see! I'll make him see that I am not one to mess with! I am not going to be defeated by a shinigami with a smart mouth!_ he growled in his mind. With a large grin, Nnoitra kicked Santa Teresa, so his zanpaktou twirled and landed steadily in Nnoitra's grasp.

"Comin' your way!" shouted Nnoitra. He dashed forward with Santa Teresa being supported in his right hand. He saw Ichigo ready himself to block the attack, so Nnoitra quickly lowered himself and slashed upwards. At the time he arrived closely to Ichigo, Santa Teresa was already coming upwards towards Ichigo's face.

With wide eyes, Ichigo moved his head backward to avoid the slash. Due to sudden reaction, his arms were splayed out at his sides, causing him to be open for another attack. _Oh no_, he thought as he felt his body become defenseless.

Nnoitra took the opportunity to send a punch with his left hand toward Ichigo's abdomen. As his punch delved into Ichigo's midsection, Nnoitra looked up and grinned evilly. The wide brown eyes were too good to pass up.

"Ahhh!" cried Ichigo as he flew backwards again. Not wanting to submit, Ichigo flipped while he was flying in midair. Instead of landing on the ground, he ground his feet into the air to stop himself; thus, he stood ready with Zangetsu held out front of himself. He was panting with fatigue bugging at his body. _Not only is he fast, but he's strong, too. He's also really heavy. I never thought a guy that skinny could weigh so much, _he pondered. His sight on Nnoitra failed, for his opponent flashed from sight.

"Where did he go?" he asked himself. His eyes darted from side to side to find Nnoitra, but the other seemed completely gone. He stood upright and turned his head from side to side. He faintly heard Rukia yelling from afar.

"Ichigo's in a fight with Nnoitra!" announced Rukia from her squashed position. She was shut up by a finger to her lips. Her eyes traveled to Orihime. _Why aren't they getting off? Ichigo could be in some serious trouble with this Espada, and they're still hugging me without a care in the world? What the fuck is wrong with these two? _Rukia mentally screamed. She tried struggling again.

"They're just having fun," said Nel as she continued to hug Rukia.

"Yeah. Ichigo will be fine. He's too strong to be beaten down," assured Orihime.

Rukia frowned. _Sometimes I wonder if you ever think, Orihime_, thought Rukia. She decided enough was enough. "If you two don't get off of me, I won't bring chocolate for you anymore," she threatened.

The green haired woman gasped. "You wouldn't," challenged Nel with worry in her voice.

"I would," said Rukia as she narrowed her eyes. _Take the bait! Once Nel lets go, Orihime will have to let go, too_, she thought with a mental smile. Nel loosened her grip and sat up. Rukia smiled gratefully at her.

"So...do I get chocolate?" asked Nel as she pointed at herself. She blinked her large eyes, pleading for Rukia to not withhold the chocolate.

"Yes, you get chocolate, Nel," replied Rukia. "There's some in the picnic basket."

"Yay!" cheered Nel. She crawled toward the basket and began to rummage through it.

"Now it's your turn, Orihime," said Rukia. She looked up at the strawberry haired girl, who appeared to be pondering about whether or not to let Rukia go. _She really has to think about this? I thought every female loved chocolate. Chocolate should be her weakness! _Rukia reasoned. "You do want more chocolate, don't you, Orihime?"

"Oh well!" came Orihime's voice. She squeezed her Rukia even harder. "No chocolate means more of my attention for you."

_Damn it_, thought Rukia, _I guess I have no choice._

When Ichigo looked toward Rukia, he was suddenly slammed to the ground. "Got ya!" came Nnoitra's amused voice. Ichigo felt his arms were being firmly held down behind his back, and he could feel Nnoitra's weight on his back.

"Well, I guess I can win in a real battle, too," taunted Nnoitra. He stabbed Santa Teresa by Ichigo's head, making the shinigami flinch. "Guess who owes me a another bag of chocolate?"

_Shit_, came Ichigo's realization, _I'm pinned, so by default, Nnoitra does win! _Ichigo cursed at the top of his lungs, "DAMN IT! FUCK ME SIDEWAYS!" His voice boomed outward toward the sands. After taking a few breaths, he looked back at Nnoitra and threatened, "I should get Nel to kick your ass for me." That threat earned him a glare.

Rukia, Nel, and Orihime looked up toward Ichigo, who was still pinned down.

After a snore, Grimmjow immediately sat up as he announced, "I heard 'fuck.'" His blue eyes looked at the empty chess area. Seeing that Nnoitra and Ichigo weren't there, he turned his head, causing his eyes to widen. He saw his Ichigo being pinned down by Nnoitra. _That bastard!_

With a loud roar, Grimmjow yelled, "Nnoitra! You're dead!" He flashed from his spot on the blanket and sprinted on the ground, leaving a cloud of sand behind him. He hurled his body against Nnoitra, causing the other to fly off of Ichigo.

"Grimmjow?" came Ichigo's voice.

Grimmjow looked down and saw his Ichigo looking well beaten. With an angry grasp on Ichigo's robes, he pulled the other to his feet and scolded, "What the hell did you think you were doing with Nnoitra? Your mine, damn it! All mine! Don't ever touch that bastard again!"

Ichigo was wide eyed. _This big goof really thinks that Nnoitra was going for me? Talk about jealous..._ "Since when did I become your property?" asked Ichigo with a cross of his arms. He didn't care to acknowledge the hand still gripping his robes. He just challenged Grimmjow's furious gaze with his own.

Before Grimmjow could answer, Nel had rammed him with her body, causing the blue haired Espada to fly sideways. Grimmjow still had a hold on Ichigo's robes at the time of impact, so Ichigo flew with him.

When Ichigo landed on the ground again, he was annoyed. With a huff, he pushed his torso upwards and yelled, "Nel! What the hell!" He shook his fist at her.

"Sorry," apologized Nel. "I just meant to hit Grimmjow." She looked at the sexta and threatened, "Don't you ever hit my Nnoitra again! If you do, I will personally kill you!" Her hands were clenched in fists.

Nnoitra got up and rubbed his torso. _Damn Grimmjow for all he's worth...which isn't a lot_, he growled in his mind. After he witnessed Grimmjow get rammed, he yelled, "Nel! Don't butt in! I can take them both on!" He straightened himself out and grabbed his weapon, then he marched toward Grimmjow and Ichigo.

"You don't scare me!" roared Grimmjow after he got to his feet.

"Grimmjow!" growled Ichigo. He was still laying on the ground.

"What?" growled the other in return as he looked back at his shinigami lover.

"Shut the hell up!" demanded Ichigo. "You're not making anything better right now!" He quickly got to his feet.

"Don't tell me what to do!" countered Grimmjow. He ignored Ichigo's next flow of words to look up at the approaching quinta; he felt Nnoitra's spiritual power bursting. He clenched his teeth and marched toward Nnoitra. Still ignoring Ichigo's arguments, he pulled out Pantera. _I'll give that bastard a work out_, he promised. He released some of his own spiritual power to challenge Nnoitra's.

Nnoitra smiled at Grimmjow, for he knew something great was about to happen. "Time for an all out fight," he happily muttered. He knew that Nel would follow into the fight to protect him, and he knew Ichigo would come into the fight to assist Grimmjow. He knew there was no avoiding the upcoming battle; thus, great fun was about to take place.

"Come on, pussy cat! Show me somethin'!" challenged Nnoitra. He leaned forward to take off; he flashed forward into the air, leaving a plume of dust in his former spot. _This is going to be fun!_

"I'll give you a mouthful of kickass!" yelled Grimmjow. He, too, flashed forward into the air. As the Espada traveled through the air, he tightened his grip on his weapon. He knew what to expect from Nnoitra. Grimmjow swung Pantera at his flying opponent, who met him with Santa Teresa.

Both Espada collided into each other; only their weapons separated them from each other. Both blades creaked and sparked as their owners kept pushing at each other.

"I'll show you what happens to bastards who think they can lay their hands on my Ichigo!" growled Grimmjow. His snarl disappeared when he felt Nel's presence behind him. _Sneaky bitch!_ Grimmjow was about to cero Nnoitra when he heard Ichigo's voice and a clang of metal. _He's here. Ichigo's here with me. He's defending me from Nel. Aw. I knew he cared... Fuck you, Nnoitra. I'm gonna kick your ass, then I'm gonna love my Ichigo. _"Grrrraaaaaaah!" growled Grimmjow as he pushed Nnoitra harder.

Nnoitra felt his arms shaking. He didn't think Grimmjow could be so fueled with fury. _This cat is actually strong. Humph. No matter. I'll just get him permanently when he's more tired. _He poked out his tongue, but it was immediately grabbed by Grimmjow's hand. "What the?" he questioned in surprise.

"I don't think so," snarled Grimmjow. While he had Nnoitra distracted, the sexta kneed upward at Nnoitra's gut. When the other reclaimed his tongue and yelped in sudden pain, Grimmjow broke off the competitive sword lock. He put out his hand and yelled, "Cero!"

Ichigo was shoved away harshly by Nel's hand. He saw her going for Grimmjow, who he knew was in the position of giving off a cero. "Nel!" he yelled in concern.

"I'll protect my Nnoitra!" yelled Nel as she placed herself in front of Nnoitra. She opened her mouth and swallowed the blue cero that came from Grimmjow's hand. With a last inhale, Nel closed her mouth, trapping the powerful flash. Her eyes opened up maliciously at Grimmjow.

Nnoitra was shocked at the declaration. He noticed that Nel named him as her possession of sorts. He knew that she was referring to her weird emotion called love, but he didn't think he would feel anything toward it. His chest was vibrating, and his gut was swirling. _What the hell is this?_

Ichigo tried to cut in front of Grimmjow, but the other pulled Ichigo behind himself. "Hey," complained Ichigo. "I can deflect it."

"So can I," replied Grimmjow. _Sort of_, he mentally corrected himself. "I'll protect you from these idiots! Just don't get in my way!" He turned his attention back to Nel, who glared at him.

If Ichigo had to be honest with himself about Nel, he would confess that the woman was not worth messing with and that her power kind of scared him. When he remembered what she did to Nnoitra, Ichigo panicked and hid his face in Grimmjow's back. He clutched at the other and hoped that Grimmjow was right.

"Just so you know, Grimmjow," said Ichigo. "If Nel manages to kill us, I'm gonna kill you in the after-after life." He closed his eyes.

Grimmjow chuckled, "Just watch, babe." With a cocky smirk, he challenged, "Come on, Nel. I dare ya."

With angrily puckered lips, Nel clenched her fists and readied her stance. She opened her mouth and let out the cero. The blast came out in a large wall of purple. It made the ground shake and the sand swirl. Even Nnoitra staggered to stand correctly.

"Worthless," mumbled Grimmjow. "Cero." His cero fired at Nel's; the blue blast cut through Nel's, making a parted doorway for both him and Ichigo. When Nel's blast was finished, Grimmjow smirked, for he had succeeded in protecting his hiding lover. He wiped away the billowing sand with a stroke of his sword.

Rukia gaped at the battle scene. The most intriguing thing was the purple blast and the blue cero that cut it. She had never seen anything like it. Her continuous gaze was noticed by Orihime, who had to lift Rukia's jaw shut.

"Wow. They're powerful," commented Orihime, who was oblivious to the whole ordeal due to her constant snuggling with Rukia. "I bet you're just as powerful," she said to Rukia, who stared at her. She gave a sweet smile.

The comment made Rukia feel good. She smiled, for she knew that Orihime thought highly of her fighting ability. "Thanks, Orihime," she softly said.

Ichigo opened his eyes when Grimmjow chuckled in triumph. He looked over the blue Espada's shoulder and gaped. "You actually stopped it," gasped he. _Holy crap! That was...Amazing! _

"More like sliced it in half," corrected Grimmjow. "But who's being technical, anyway?" he shrugged with his hands in the air.

"I don't know," shrugged Ichigo absent mindedly. His eyes narrowed. "Wait a second. You called me 'babe.'" He took a step back with his hands on his hips.

"Duh. You barely registered that in your pretty head?" mocked Grimmjow turning around. He rested his sword on his shoulder, while he tucked the other hand in his pocket.

With a dragging reply, Ichigo answered, "Nooooooo-yeeesssssss... Shut up!" He would ignore the other, so he looked away and peeked at Nel and Nnoitra over Grimmjow's shoulder. His eyebrows raised, and an amused smile broke on to his face.

"Nnoitra!" yelled Nel in worry. She turned and mercilessly hugged the taller Espada. "I was so worried. I thought Grimmjow was going to hurt you." She buried her face in his chest.

Nnoitra wriggled his arms to get them free, but the woman was too strong for him. Hearing her concern, he asked, "Do ya doubt my strength?" He was more insulted rather than thankful for her concern. _Seriously! Nel still thinks I'm weaker than her. Well that just sucks hollow balls._

With a surprised gasp, Nel looked up and hastily replied, "No!" She doubled her hugging strength and blabbed, "I would never doubt your strength! I was just worried. I don't want you to go away! You make me happy!"

Even though his breathing ability was being shrunk, Nnoitra still blushed. When Nel pointed it out, he said, "Shut up." He was pouting, for the woman had not let him go and she was making cute faces at him. "Nel, you can let go now," he demanded more than suggested.

Nel shook her head and tightened her grip again. When Nnoitra groaned from the tight embrace, she giggled. "I'll never let you go," she said with a smile.

"What's got you smiling?" asked Grimmjow. He turned his head and saw the couple. Apparently, Nel had taken the next step and was making out with Nnoitra, who was flailing his arms about. Grimmjow turned his attention back to Ichigo and questioned, "So seeing people kissing makes you happy?"

Ichigo turned red and answered, "It's not like that! I just find Nnoitra's predicament amusing." He turned away with a pout and cross of his arms.

"Aw, babe. I didn't mean to offend you," cooed Grimmjow. He sheathed his sword and hugged Ichigo from behind. He kissed Ichigo on the neck; as a result, the skin turned a shade of pink. Grimmjow grinned. "Do you like my kisses, Ichigo?" he whispered in the other's ear.

The orange haired shinigami didn't want to respond to Grimmjow's question. He really didn't want to tell him that he thought, _His hug is nice and comforting... Did he just kiss me? Well..er.. I guess it wasn't so bad. It actually feels nice. _He blushed again when Grimmjow gave him a kiss on his cheek.

After Grimmjow had kissed Ichigo, Cupid quickly sat upright. "This can't be," he said aloud, drawing Ares's attention. "I can sense emotion...from all of them!" _Not just any emotion, either. It's not 'love,' but it's interest... I think these awkward spirits are actually responding positively. That doesn't seem correct, though. It's only been less than a day. I don't understand_, thought Cupid as he rested his arms on his knees.

"What are you talking about, Cupid?" asked Ares. "Isn't the whole point of your challenge to fall in love?" The other nodded, still dumbstruck. "Then there should be no problem. I'm guessing by the look on your face that you were expecting more distance and struggle." With a chuckle, Ares continued, "I guess that you underestimated the way spirits can mingle." He stared at the cloud.

"You know, Cupid, I think the spirits are just as pugnacious as they are emotional," suggested Ares. He looked at Cupid with amused eyes and said, "Or maybe, you made the challenge too easy for these spirits." He chuckled again.

"Too easy?" asked Cupid in disbelief. "I think not. I have given them fair challenges without knowing about their nature in the first place. Maybe these spirits are just more amorous than I thought." He crossed his arms. _With my help, of course_, he mentally added.

"Oh don't be that way, Cupid. They're still fun...for me," laughed Ares. He laughed more when Cupid glared at him. After laughing heartily, he fanned himself and suggested, "If their original nature was more pugnacious than amorous, why did you change it? I understand there's a hate going on, but that's the beauty of a true challenge. If I were you, I would go back down there and swipe away the effects of the arrows."

"But that would result in utter chaos," reasoned Cupid. "They would just fight more." He pointed toward the screen, where it showed Ichigo and Grimmjow still embraced.

"That's the point," said Ares. "You obviously aren't amused with simple love. These spirits are really simple, in this case. Thus, simple meeting simple does not create utter amusement for long." He smoothed his hair, then he rested his chin on his hand. His fingers rubbed over the small goatee he had. _Silly Cupid. He really does remind me of Prometheus's brother. So sad._

Cupid knew that Ares had a point, but he wasn't sure if he had the heart to swipe away the love. He looked to the cloud and saw Ichigo hit Grimmjow on the head with his zanpaktou; as a result, Cupid had to witness another argument. He sighed.

"No," said Cupid. Ares raised an eyebrow. "Taking away the love I already gave would only set things back, and there is no fun if a challenge takes longer than it needs to. I'd rather they fall on their own accord." He looked at Ares.

Ares shrugged. "Fine by me, Cupid," he said. "I was just suggesting another possibility."

_More like you were thinking selfishly of more battle_, Cupid countered mentally. He looked away toward the screen. "They are mine to mess with," said Cupid. "I shall punish, reward, help, or complicate their lives as I see fit. Thank you, Ares, but I shall continue on this way."

Ares smiled as he looked back at the screen. _Soon enough_, thought he.

**Author's Note:**

**Yes, I did add Ares. Yay! Ares just happens to be one of my three favorite Greek gods. **

**Anyway, what did you all think of this chapter? Amusing, funny, thrilling, interesting, etc? Let me know, or you can just do what ever you want. Either way, I'll still start the next chapter.**


	4. Making Up

**Thank you all for supporting this story. :) Welcome to those who just started reading. Sorry. This chapter is long.**

**Loreto, I put something in here just for you. You have to read the chapter to know what it is. :)**

**Chapter Four: Making Up**

Rukia had no idea how Aizen didn't catch them sneaking into Las Noches to relax. Their spiritual energy was bursting with excitement and spreading amongst the building. Apparently, Nnoitra didn't want to be left alone with Nel, so he invited the other two couples. Only Rukia and Orihime were able to stay in Nnoitra's room; Grimmjow and Ichigo left.

"How doesn't Aizen know we're here?" asked Rukia to Nnoitra, who was busy trying to get his television to work. She still couldn't believe the other invited them for a movie night.

"Damn t.v.," muttered Nnoitra as he hit the old box with his fist. _Why doesn't this piece of crap ever work! Huh. Oh. The bitch called me. For what again? _he thought as he cursed the television again. He stood up, his spoon like collar making him look more ridiculous than necessary. His lone eye switched to Rukia, and he asked, "What did ya say?"

Rukia hit her forehead and asked again, "How doesn't Aizen know we're here?" She was frowning at the tall Espada. _How did he make Espada? _she asked herself.

"Rukia," whined Orihime. "Don't hit your face. You'll leave a mark on your pretty, little head." She kissed the other on the forehead.

Rukia just sighed.

Nnoitra shrugged and answered, "Nel's been holdin' up some sort of barrier thing for us. She did it for Grimmjow and his man earlier, too. So thank her." He turned his sights back to the television. He shook the box a few times until the frizzy screen got worse. _I swear that I will use this damn television for cero practice if it doesn't work within the next thirty seconds_, thought he with a sneer at the screen.

"Nnoitra," called Nel. She got up from her sitting position on the bed and walked over to him. She rubbed the other's back to soothe the anger she sensed. "Don't let this technical television get to you. Here." She gently moved Nnoitra aside and tapped the top of the television box gently. The frizzy screen turned clear and showed the movie that was playing.

The tall Espada was dumbfounded. _How the hell did this bitch get the damn thing working? I was basically beating the damn thing, and she just taps it. And, it works. What the fuck? _he mentally growled. He felt a tug on his sleeve, so he looked down at the puller.

Nel was looking up at the other with a gleeful smile. "I fixed it for you. Are you happy, now?" she asked. Nnoitra was frowning at her, so Nel looked down and let go of the other's arm.

The taller Espada jolted at the sadder look on Nel. He remembered that any negative progress could cost him his life, but that didn't help the negative feeling he got on the inside. He didn't like it.

"Don't look like that, Nel. You make me feel weird. Just smile again," said Nnoitra out of panic. He flinched when Nel's eyes raised to his gaze.

"A good weird?" asked Nel with a smile.

"Uh," mumbled Nnoitra. He straightened himself out and quickly replied, "Don't ever look like that again." He cleared his throat and marched to his bed. He kept his gaze fixed on the television as Nel made her way over to him and sat down.

The green haired woman wrapped her arms around Nnoitra's upper arm and rested her head on his shoulder. She, too, stared at the screen, but she was smiling.

After the whole scene, Rukia spoke up, "Thanks, Nel." The other nodded at her thanks. With a relieved like sigh, she sat upright to pay attention to the screen. Rukia's right eye twitched when Orihime wrapped her arms around Rukia. _Why does she want to cuddle so much?_ Rukia groaned in her mind.

As she snuggled against her Rukia, Orihime's mind sang, _Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine... _She rubbed her head against the other's cheek and squashed their faces together. Orihime giggled when she felt Rukia's face warm up. The other just accepted the snuggling hug. Orihime happily sighed and decided to rest her head on Rukia's lap and hug Rukia's legs. _Soft. Just like a pillow_, she thought.

Rukia didn't bother to ask the other to sit correctly, for she knew the other would start crying or whining about her not giving Orihime enough affection. With a thoughtful look, Rukia remembered the nice things Orihime said and did for her, and she decided that Orihime was really being sweet. Then again, Orihime had always been sweet. She made a curious face as she put her little hand on Orihime's shoulder.

She flinched when Orihime squealed and squirmed to get closer. _That wasn't odd at all_, she mentally and sarcastically commented. Deciding to give the criticism a break, Rukia looked to the screen. The title of the move popped up as music played. _What movie is this? _she asked herself.

The title read, "Twilight." The character, Bella, appeared on the screen with her thoughts being said aloud.

Nnoitra yawned. He mentally cursed himself for letting Nel pick the movie. Apparently the green haired "lover" was a Twilight fan. He couldn't blame her for liking the vampire crap, but he could blame her for picking a damn love story.

_Of all movies, Nel! Why "Twilight?" Why not some action flick like Transformers 3? There's romance, too, for crying out loud! _Nnoitra mentally complained. He frowned when Nel snuggled against him at the moment Edward was looking at Bella in her sleep.

"Isn't that sweet?" whispered Nel up to Nnoitra. When she felt the other shiver, Nel hugged on Nnoitra' arm even tighter. With her sweetest voice, she whispered, "I love you, Nnoitra."

_Great. Now my chest is bubbly_, Nnoitra complained further. He glared at the screen when Bella admitted her feelings toward Edward. _I hate this movie_, he thought. There was no way in Hueco Mundo that Nnoitra would ever fall for the trick Bella just pulled. _The bitch, Bella, must be desperate_, he concluded. _That sparkling fag, too. _

Rukia was thinking the same thing. She was not very happy with "Twilight." The movie was giving Orihime some ideas; she could feel it. Orihime was literally swooning at the romantic interaction between Bella and Edward. _Oh, man. I know she's gonna pull some romantic crap. Why does she have to take the high road to get me to- _She stopped in mid thought. Rukia was just about to think of herself liking Orihime as more.

The black haired woman blushed at her own thoughts. _How could I think of such things?Orihime is a great friend. She's caring, kind, supportive, beautiful, and...and... Damn it! There I go again_, she thought. _I thought she like Ichigo or would go for that gloomy guy I heard she was with. Why doesn't her original feelings come into play? _

Rukia looked down at Orihime with her eyes. She didn't want to seem like she was purposefully staring. She could see Orihime was fixed on the television. When the other shifted her position, Rukia quickly looked back up at the screen. Then, she heard a snicker, so she looked at Nnoitra, the highest candidate for being an asshole.

As suspected, Nnoitra was laughing at her. He was laughing quietly, though, for he seemed to be wary of Nel's satisfactory state. With cough and an inhale of air, Nnoitra said, "No making out." He smiled his big grin after exhaling his breath.

"Asshole," Rukia mouthed at Nnoitra. Then, she decided to distract herself by stroking Orihime's hair. Rukia was sure the other was very happy, for Orihime was hugging her legs even tighter. _Maybe... This challenge thing isn't so bad after all_, she calmly concluded. She played with Orihime's hair even more affectionately.

The strawberry haired girl looked up at her Rukia and thought, _I hope she will return my love someday._ Orihime blinked when she heard Nnoitra muffling something. Her eyes drifted over to his side of the room and saw Nel giving the Espada a lot of kisses. She giggled at the sight.

_I will not take my Rukia against her will. I shall wait for her to ask for my bodily affection_, thought Orihime.

As Rukia was asking about Aizen's knowledge, Ichigo sat up with a groan. He blinked his eyes and felt the back of his head. There was no bump or indication of anything wet, so he guessed that he was alright. Ichigo immediately promised himself that he would make the other pay for the blow to the head.

All he could recall was Grimmjow "crying" and "whining" about him being so mean, which shouldn't have been a surprise. Ichigo has always been the pugnacious type. If Grimmjow didn't get that by their second battle, then, according to Ichigo, the other was clearly stupid on reading people.

He rubbed the back of his head again, but he noticed something different. There was a soft fabric touching him. With a confused look, Ichigo brought his hand into view. The white blur turned clear, and Ichigo was wide eyed at the sight. A white glove. Not just any glove, a lace glove with flower patterns and a white ribbon wrapped at the wrist. With a nervous gulp, Ichigo looked down. The blur of his vision was gone at the glove, so his eyes were much wider than before.

He yelped and scrambled to get off of the bed. Ichigo carefully backed away from the bed and looked around the room. He was clearly in Grimmjow's room, but that wasn't the main point of his focus. Ichigo remembered the door at the other end of the room, so he carefully made his way over and opened it.

Inside the door, he could see a white toilet, a white bathtub, and a white sink. Of course, the walls didn't contrast in any way, so Ichigo's hope for some color was gone. His worried expression lightened when he spotted the body length mirror.

At the moment, the mirror seemed like a god like object, for it gleamed in the moonlight and sent off slivers of white. Ichigo pulled the door open completely and stepped inside. He closed the door behind himself and took baby steps to the mirror. As he got closer to the mirror, he felt his heart jump more and more.

When he was at the mirror's edge, Ichigo couldn't bring himself to step into the mirror's graceful gaze. _I can do this_, he thought with a huff of courage, _I can do this. _With shut eyes, Ichigo stepped in front of the mirror. He quickly opened his eyes and gaped. His face turned red. His eyes were lined with eyeliner, and his lashes were combed upward with mascara. Ichigo was pretty sure his lips were smothered in lip gloss from the ridiculous amount of shine they gave off.

His right eye was twitching at his image. _THAT BASTARD! _he mentally screamed. Ichigo touched the mirror and flinched at the cold surface. "This can't be right," he whimpered to himself. He quickly felt under his clothing and sighed in relief at feeling his crotch as it was supposed to be.

With a more stern look, Ichigo growled, "That bastard is going to get what's coming to him." He turned back to the door and marched toward the center of the room. He took a second to think about what he just saw. Then, he thought about the way he got into the mess at all. _Oh no_, he whined to himself.

He remembered how he ended up in the room, and he didn't like it at all. Ichigo couldn't believe he fell for Grimmjow's fake crying act. He half blamed himself for falling for it, and he half blamed himself for not catching the chuckles in between the breaths. He covered his face with both white gloved hands. The other had tricked him into thinking he hurt the other's feelings, so Grimmjow asked him to make it up.

The idea of making up was not in Ichigo's favor, for he was knocked out to be dressed up. He was trying to hide his red face as he stood there in bone breaking black stilettos. The shoes fit perfectly, which scared Ichigo because he didn't know how the other knew his shoe size. He wore white stockings that reached from the shoe to mid thigh. The worst part of the of the leg attire was the bows gracefully tied on his thin ankles.

To add on to the legs, Ichigo was wearing a blue plaid dress that dropped just above the stockings. The white ruffled layers under the dress made the dress even girlier. The top of the dress was more modest, for it covered most of the chest. The straps were thick and covered most of the upper arms, but the straps also had white ruffle layers underneath, too. The next decoration was the white sash that wrapped around his waist and was tied into a giant bow in the back.

The icing on the cake was the white choker around his neck and the orange extensions that made pigtails. Ichigo didn't even try to think of the black lacy thong he was forced to wear. He felt the damn thing at the time he felt his crotch.

_Am I supposed to be Dorothy from the "Wizard of Oz?" _he mentally growled. _This sucks so much. How did I even get to this point?... Oh yeah. He suddenly knocked me out again. Bastard! I should shove my shoe up his ass and see how he likes my fury. _After some more planning about kicking Grimmjow's ass, he thought of Grimmjow seeing him naked. With a deeper blush and narrowed eyes, he gritted, "I'm gonna kick his ass!" Ichigo peeked in between his fingers. He wanted to make sure Grimmjow still wasn't around when he decided to try to take off everything.

While making huffing noises, Ichigo looked around the room. He clicked and clacked around the room as he searched for Zangetsu. As far as he was concerned, Ichigo was going to give Grimmjow the ass kicking of a lifetime. Cupid could suck it for all he cared.

When he bent down to look up Grimmjow's bed, Ichigo heard a whistle. With a red face, he bolted up to his feet and looked for the whistling asshole he knew to be Grimmjow. After turning completely around, Ichigo spotted Grimmjow looking smug with a smile. "You," growled Ichigo as he pointed a gloved finger in Grimmjow's direction.

"Me," responded Grimmjow with a smile. He playfully glanced from side to side, then he looked back at Ichigo. "Oh. You are pointing at me," he playfully said. He straightened his stance to appear taller and more smug.

"No, I was talking about the door," Ichigo bit back sarcastically. "Of course, I'm pointing at you, asshole!" Ichigo marched forward and growled, "Where did you put Zangetsu?" He was shivering from the large amount of rage as he looked up into Grimmjow's eyes. Then he panicked on the inside a little when he noticed there was some type of emotion swirling in the blue twisters.

"Not tellin' ya," replied Grimmjow with a grin. He pushed his body against Ichigo, making the other back up. Liking the submissive like action, Grimmjow continued to back Ichigo up with his body. His walk only took a few strides until Ichigo finally fell back onto the bed.

Grimmjow bent down, so he was eye to eye with Ichigo, who was shifting uncomfortably in his sitting position. "Did I tell ya that you look fuckin' hot in that dress?" he asked. When the other blushed, adding on to his angry red face already, Grimmjow quickly pounced on the other.

Ichigo yelped in surprise and tried to get away on the bed. He managed to give Grimmjow a kick to the abdomen, so he used the pained time to crawl away. Although he was close to getting to the other edge, his great escape was suddenly stopped. A large hand was wrapped around his little ankle and pulling on him.

_No, no, no, no, no_, panicked Ichigo. He clawed at the white sheets to grasp the edge of the bed. He was really close to succeeding, but his body was suddenly flipped over. Ichigo was wide eyed, for he felt a pang of fear in his chest as he looked up at storm filled eyes. He didn't feel his legs pulled apart, and he didn't feel the sudden clutch of his wrists. All he could focus on was the blue eyes that threatened to swallow him whole. He felt so limp.

The blue haired Espada let his free hand roam over the tip of Ichigo's knee to the inside of the other's thigh. He could still feel the fabric of the stocking, so he roamed farther up Ichigo's leg. Grimmjow loved the shy face Ichigo was making, but that wasn't enough. He swooped down and kissed hungrily at Ichigo's lips.

When the other didn't open his mouth, Grimmjow thrust his hips at the other's exposed bottom, causing the young man to open his mouth to protest at the action. Using the moment, Grimmjow thrust his tongue into Ichigo's mouth. He never thought he would taste strawberry fruit on the other's tongue. Then again, he did apply strawberry lip gloss.

The young shinigami didn't know how to react to all the attention and demands. Grimmjow was both caressing his body and making him feel good, while Grimmjow got his own desires. Ichigo was about to respond with his own body language, but Grimmjow surprised him with a grope to his rear end. He grunted into the kiss, making the other groan with satisfaction.

Liking the other's "approval," Grimmjow continued his kisses down the other's neck. He could smell the perfume he applied on the other's skin. He deeply inhaled the other's scent. Just as he was about to suck on Ichigo's neck, another burst into the room unannounced, scattering some of Grimmjow's wall all over the room.

Grimmjow was suddenly swept off of Ichigo by a metallic pole. He landed on the ground on his butt. With a bit of worry, he looked up at Ichigo, who was smoothing his dress and looking away at something else nervously. Seeing that his shinigami lover was okay, he turned his head and saw a tall warrior.

The warrior was a blond haired man who stood seven feet tall. His chest, thighs, calves, and forearms were covered in black armor. His eyes were a menacing gold, making his masculine features stand out. The warrior slung a huge spear over his shoulder. The spear's head had spikes collaring its base. The hair seemed to drape over his shoulders in waterfalls, looking like a short cape.

"What a lovely maiden," commented the warrior in a godly and deep voice. He peered at Ichigo, who was backing away on the bed. "I see why you," he looked at Grimmjow, "have such interest in the little dove."

Ichigo was lost for words. The warrior was huge, and, from the large amount of spiritual energy he was emitting, Ichigo could tell the warrior was powerful. He stopped in mid-flee and thought, _Wait. Did he just call me a maiden? _He looked at himself and frowned. _Oh yeah. I forgot._

"Who the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing here?" growled Grimmjow stepping in front of the other's view. He crossed his arms.

"My name is Achilles, and I have been brought back from the dead to do Cupid's bidding: I'm here to challenge the bond. If you fail, I have permission to keep the maiden, who I can take back to the Underworld with me," said the warrior.

_The bond?_ thought Ichigo. _Like...our love for eachother? I don't think love is the right word here..but he said 'bond.' Does that mean our attachment? _He was still staring wide eyed at the large warrior. "Shit," he mumbled.

Before the warrior was sent down, Cupid was seething in his seat on his front step. He didn't like the way Ichigo and Grimmjow were getting so close so fast. He could see the orange haired shinigami was allowing Grimmjow to love him.

_If they lay together today, they will have completed the challenge! How can this be? This is unheard of! There should be more struggle from Ichigo. I thought this couple would descend deeper into hate or despair from the lack of interest from Ichigo. How could I be so wrong_, thought Cupid.

He clutched at his goblet with force, causing the rim to dent. The gold whined as it was bent to nearly touching the tip of the red wine inside. Cupid's fury caught Ares's eye.

"What makes you so irritated, Cupid?" asked Ares. He turned his gaze upon the other, who seemed to be turning a bit red.

"This couple is going to mess it all up!" growled the god of love. He flung his goblet aside, splashing wine along the rest of the steps.

Ares looked back at the cloud. He did get a good laugh at the orange haired soul reaper's new look, but he never thought that something like a new set of clothes would make love appear faster. Thinking that his thought process was off, Ares turned back to Cupid, who was tapping his chin and grumbling.

With a smile, Ares said, "My, my, Cupid. You get worked up worse than I do." He chuckled as the other looked at him with narrowed eyes. After taking a breath, Ares continued, "What makes this couple so darn dangerous to you?" He eyed the angry blonde.

Cupid huffed and replied, "When any man lays with another, the act is called sex or 'making love.' The name isn't there just for show. By these two laying together, they would have beaten my challenge, for they would have legally fell in love. Making love doesn't seem so powerful, but with my arrow in the blue man's heart, love can easily pour into the other during the act."

He looked at Ares. "I don't want this happening so fast," declared Cupid. "By committing this act, the two will have cheated. I don't give gifts to be cheated. I give gifts like this for natural love. Natural!"

"Well, you're the god of love, Cupid. Do something about your spirits," said Ares. _Making love is cheating? What an odd ball that Cupid is_, thought the god of war. He leaned on his helmet. "Do what you must do. Either way, I shall enjoy the battles that are to come from these spirits."

The god of love perked up at "battles." His bright eyes gleamed at the solution. _Battle. How could I have not thought of it sooner?_ he thought. Cupid turned to Ares and said, "Does Hades owe you something?"

The god of war raised an eyebrow at the question. _What does Hades have to do with this? Ah! I know where he's going with this. Very clever, Cupid. You seem more tricky than the god of tricks himself. Too bad that Hades owes me nothing_, thought Ares.

With a chuckle, Ares replied, "Hades owes me nothing, Cupid. In fact, I think I owe him for taking in all of those soldiers from my wars." He laughed and wiped away a tear. The thought of battle, especially past battles, made him laugh heartily.

Cupid pursed his lips, but he lightened his features when another thought came to him. He quickly stood and said, "Then I shall ask for a favor from Hades. I'm sure he would love a favor from me in the future. I know Persephone doesn't take kindly to his deeds of love. Every man can use a word from a expert." He eyed his nails, knowing that he was absolutely great in the love department.

"Really?" mused Ares. "How do you plan on even talking to him? The god is busy with the dead for Olympus's sake." He stared up at the blonde.

"Watch me," hissed Cupid. He sprouted his wings and took off into the air. When he got as high as possible, Cupid tore at the atmosphere with his nails, causing a portal to appear. Inside the portal were green walls of energy. All the gods knew that the energy was very dangerous to tamper with; thus, it was stashed into doorway of the Underworld. On the other side, Cupid could see the dark, damp caves of the Underworld.

He looked back at Ares with a smug smile. He gave a brief salute and dove into the green swirls. Cupid didn't stop until he was within the mucky halls. His wings disappeared, allowing for the god to wander on his feet.

Cupid didn't dare look at the ground, for he could feel human bones tickling his feet. _Doesn't Hades ever think of cleaning up? It's called a broom for Zeus's sake_, he inwardly complained. He continued to mentally complain and criticize Hades's choice of decor and hygiene. He stopped when he saw the huge dog, Cerberus.

The three headed dog growled as it laid on its belly. When Cupid tried to pass it, Cerberus tugged at its chain to snap its set of jaws. The black fur ruffled up, and its tail slithered about like a snake. Drool dripped from the dogs' jaws, making the ground hiss as it burned the dead dirt.

The god of love disliked the creature, so he simply commanded, "Sit." When the beast did not sit, Cupid let off a large wave of pressure and growled, "Sit!" The creature whined and obeyed. With a huff, Cupid set off toward the doors of Hades. He knew that the doors led to Hades's throne, and he also knew that same throne room served as Hades's personal chambers. Cupid shivered with goosebumps; that only meant something was going on behind the large black doors.

Shrugging off the sense of a humiliating scene in the throne room, Cupid took hold of the silver handles as large as him, and he thrust the doors open. He frowned when he saw Hades bellowing at his wife, who happened to be leaving with only a cream corset and thong on. When the wife left behind a door, Cupid looked at Hades, who was red in the face.

"What do you want, Cupid?" bellowed Hades.

The god of love raised an eyebrow. "Here I am: the god of 'love.' And, you wish to scold me on a visit."

Hades saw the implication of status and grumbled as he thrust the furs off of himself and stepped into a purple robe. His brown locks drizzled down his spine in waves as he stood eight feet tall. Being powerful, Hades was amongst the tallest gods of Olympus. He was even taller than Ares.

"What brings you here?" asked Hades turning around. He crossed his large arms as he stared at the other with his black eyes.

Cupid eyed the room, and he only saw a gruesome room full of game and fur covered furniture. Definitely not the place for lovers. _I swear. Zeus needs to set some rules on decorations. This room looks like it could kill Artemis with just its stench_, he mentally criticized. He turned his sights back on Hades, put on a charming smile, and sauntered in.

"I see Persephone has a problem with you," said Cupid looking at the large painting of Hades killing a large beast.

"You come to laugh at my marriage?" growled Hades with distaste.

The other shook his head and mended, "No, but I can help you with that 'marriage.'" He walked in more and continued, "I need a warrior from your collection."

Hades raised an eyebrow. "A warrior? What for?" asked he. He studied Cupid's face, but he couldn't make out any type of emotion. Then he recalled that the other definitely had more emotional control.

Cupid nodded. "Not just any warrior. I want Achilles. I know he'll fit perfectly," he said.

"Achilles is my prized soul," said Hades.

"I know, and you prize him for a reason. I want him for that reason," countered Cupid. "By doing this, you'll help me. In return for your gratitude, I shall reward you with five centuries' worth of love advice." Hades looked at him with more interest. "Persephone will never want to leave your chambers."

The god of the Underworld hummed as he rubbed at his bearded chin. _I don't see much of the down side_, he thought. _I do have much more in my pocket. I'm glad he didn't ask for Hercules. Zeus would go mad with rage if he found that I loaned his son's soul to Cupid. _With a chuckle, Hades replied, "I shall loan you Achilles. When you are done with him, bring him back. He shall continue his dead life as a part of my collection."

Hades gestured for Cupid to follow him. When the other came his way, Hades opened a secret passage that led to a large hall. Cell doors lined the walls from the hundredth foot top to the very foot of the walls. Hades walked toward the very end of the hall, where two doors sat one on top of another. The top door was bound by golden chains, while the bottom door was bound by bronze chains.

With a pale hand, Hades pointed to the top and said, "The soul of Hercules lays there. When you bring back my soul, make sure he doesn't get a hold of Hercules's chains." He pointed downward and advised, "This is the cell of Achilles. When you are finished with his soul, put these chains back."

As he wiped his hand across the atmosphere of the cell, Hades brought down the cell door swung open, revealing a pile of ash with a skull on top.

Hades chuckled. "Awaken," he commanded in an eerie voice. His voice echoed within the cell.

Cupid smiled maniacally as the dust swirled and the skull floated. The dust formed a body as the skull rested on the gray swirls. Within a matter of seconds, skin branched from the skull and covered the dust. When the skin was done growing, a man stood within the cell, hunched over while breathing in deeply. Armor swirled around his body from a dark mist.

Achilles looked up and tilted his head in confusion. "Why do you call upon me, Hades, lord of the dead? I have been suffering my dues as you asked," asked the warrior.

Hades thumbed at Cupid, indicating that Achilles should pay attention to the other. He turned and walked away.

Cupid stepped forward and said in an amused tone, "You're my toy today." He held up his palm in front of Achilles's face and conjured an image of Ichigo in his Dorothy outfit. "This maiden is quite beautiful. Is she not?" mused Cupid. He knew that Ichigo was a man, but Achilles wouldn't go for the same gender. So, bending the truth was necessary. He looked up at the other, who seemed quite fascinated with the creature in his hand.

"There's a possibility that you can take her with you to share your endless suffering. I, Cupid, the god of love, can grant you that, but you must do something for me. I need you to test the relationship between this fair maiden and her suitor.

"Just wield your spear high and stance yourself strongly, and you might just help yourself." Cupid obviously knew that Achilles wasn't one to back down from a challenge with such a sweet prize.

The god of love knew that testing the bond had nothing to do with battle, nor did it have any relation to blood. He was testing the faith, the faith between Grimmjow and Ichigo. To him, making love was cheating, and Cupid despised cheating. No. He would have natural love. Was his method wicked?

_No love shall be made unless love is declared_, thought Cupid. He watched as Achilles brought up his magnificent spear and rested it on his shoulder.

"To offer me such a chance at a beautiful gift is most gracious, especially from the god of love himself. Now! Where do I fight to gain the favor of the fair maiden in your hand, Cupid?" boomed Achilles with glee. He smiled charmingly at the other.

All Cupid had to do was snap his fingers.

By the time Cupid got back to his cloud, Grimmjow was readying himself for battle. He drew out Pantera and pointed it at Achilles. "Heh. Another god?" he asked.

Achilles shook his head. "No, blue haired ant. I am a warrior. My skin cannot be pierced, so I ask that you lay down your sword and gift me your maiden," said he with a haughty tone. He pointed his spear at the other, making Grimmjow growl at the closeness of the weapon.

Grimmjow could care less about what Achilles was sent to do for Cupid. All he wanted to do was get rid of the glowing asshole and get back to his Ichigo. If Achilles was going to challenge Grimmjow for Ichigo, then he was up for a fight.

"Ha!" laughed Grimmjow. "Funny! My hierro can't be pierced by weaklings, either." He bent his sword inward and made a red orb appear around his fist. He was facing outward, so the blast wouldn't be so bad for Las Noches. With a maniacal grin, Grimmjow growled, "Cero."

**Author's note:**

**Sorry that the explanation part of Cupid's decision was long. I just wanted to make that part as interesting and relevant as possible. **

**Yes, I added Achilles and Hades. Hades won't be much of a big character, nor will Achilles. But, they are important to showing what kind of challenger Cupid is and showing how close Ichigo and Grimmjow are. **

**Besides that, I have a question! Tell me which couple should win Cupid's challenge. That way I give you all what you want, and I can plan ahead. **

**Loreto, did you get the part where Ichigo was dolled up for you? At least until Cupid had to be such a cock block. Hoped you like that part. **

**See ya later!**


	5. Insane

**Author's Note: **

**Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow this story. For those of you who just read, thank you, too. :) The extra views really crank up my mojo. Sorry that this chapter is super long. (18 pages on googledoc!)**

**Chapter Five: Insane**

Cupid happily sat on his stairsteps next to Ares and sighed. He leaned forward and rested his chin on his right palm. He was ecstatic about throwing Achilles into the fray. More fun for him, right?

"What did you do?" gasped Ares as he looked at the cloud in surprise. He never thought that Hades would allow Cupid to borrow Achilles. He knew Achilles was a prized collection item to Hades, yet he allowed Cupid to take the darn warrior. He also knew that Achilles wasn't the worst warrior he could've picked, but the warrior was really dangerous out of his cage.

_Does he know? _Ares thought. _Does he know what will happen to Achilles? To the spirits? To that world? Did Hades purposefully not tell Cupid? How does Cupid not know?_

"Impressed?" bragged Cupid. He sat up and stared at Ares with a sadistic smile. "I think Achilles was a great addition to the challenge. He'll really show us what the soul reaper and Espada really feel for each other." He looked at the screen and grinned at Grimmjow's response to Achilles's presence. "I quite like the way the couple is reacting to our champion."

"Champion?" questioned Ares with a raised brow. He still looked at Cupid's averted gaze. "Do you know what you have done?"

_Irritable_, thought Cupid with a frown. He turned his gaze back to Ares and asked, "Jealous?" He got up and added, "I believe that I have done something to amuse myself further. If you dislike what I do, then leave. I shall not listen to your whimpers and complaints." He turned toward his door. He quickly added, "If you want to continue to watch alongside me, then do follow my lead. I hunger for more fruit and wine."

Ares's face was red with anger. He quickly stood and gripped Cupid's shoulder to halt the other. "Jealousy is not the matter here, Cupid? Do you know what you have done? Have you asked why the souls of great warriors are put under lock and key? Have you asked what could happen if the great warrior, Achilles, were to stay out and fight too long? Do you not know the vague trickery of Hades?"

Cupid was annoyed with the shingled metal on the glove scraping painlessly along his glowing skin. The glove was like a large bug sitting on his shoulder. He brushed off Ares's hand and replied, "Why do I need to ask such silly questions? I have no need of the answers to your questions. All I know is that Achilles will do great things for me." With those last words, Cupid carelessly stepped into his large home with the cloud following him.

_Has he gone mad? How does one of his stature become so nimble minded? He's not possessed, so what ails his mind? _Ares growled in his mind. He huffed and turned away from Cupid's home. He would not partake in the festivities, nor would he stand by for such stupidity. _No matter the situation, I am a bystander. If I do not act, Zeus will have my soul split up and spread out for me to find for a thousand years. I cannot allow the spirits to be harmed, I cannot allow the spiritual realm to be harmed, and I cannot allow the balance to be thrown off. Cupid can keep his game, but I'm not going to allow Achilles to stay out too long. Those spirits could be ground to dust._

With his intentions clear, Ares put his helmet back on his head. He unsheathed his sword and cut at the air with it. Before him, a portal opened to the sands of Hueco Mundo. The black vortex surrounding the bright window reached out toward Ares in an unwelcoming manner. The dark space didn't scare him, though. What scared Ares was the possibility of not being able to defeat Achilles.

_Hell. I'm sure his heel is still fragile, but that doesn't mean he'll allow anyone near his weak point. I must be on guard_, Ares declared. Pushing back the fear, Ares entered the portal, making a crystal like bridge under his feet. The bridge would lead him to the world he had to protect from Cupid's mistake.

When Cupid was watching the cloud in an amused manner, Grimmjow had already fired his cero. The blast fired out and destroyed another wall in Grimmjow's room. Achilles was lightly impressed by the cero Grimmjow fired. He just simply moved aside and kicked Grimmjow in the chest. His spear was resting on his shoulder as he stood looking pitifully at the blue haired Espada. He thought he made his strength clear to the other.

_He's not so bright, is he? _thought Achilles with a frown. He blinked in a bored manner as Grimmjow jumped to his feet and growled at him. _Child._

"Are you deaf, blue haired bug? I believe I've told you of my power. Why does your mind resist the truth?" asked Achilles. He looked at Ichigo and asked, "You really want this poor excuse for a warrior?"

Ichigo blinked and opened his mouth to snap at Achilles, but he was cut off by Grimmjow's roar.

"Bastard! You have no right to talk to my Ichigo!" roared Grimmjow. He crouched low and pushed off of the white floor, leaving a crack in place. He pulled back his striking arm and weapon while in midair. As his body came closer to Achilles, Grimmjow focused his energy in his arm. He wanted his blow to hurt.

"Imbecile," muttered Achilles as he easily avoided the blow meant for splitting his head in half. At the moment Grimmjow was down on the ground, Achilles smirked and said, "You're too slow." As he saw Grimmjow look up at him in slow motion, Achilles grabbed Grimmjow by the neck and hoisted him up. His golden eyes stared up into defiant blues.

"Gah!" choked Grimmjow as his throat was squeezed. He used his weaponless hand to pull at Achilles's tense wrist. Realising that the hand wouldn't let him go, Grimmjow stuck to keeping himself level by holding onto the other's wrist. His breath was cut off when Achilles smiled and squeezed harder.

"Grimmjow!" came Ichigo's concerned voice. He quickly got to the edge of the bed and got onto his heeled feet; he quickly pulled the dress down when he felt a breeze pass over his butt cheeks. Despite his weaponless state, Ichigo still felt he should do something to help Grimmjow. He quickly ran over to Grimmjow and Achilles, and he jumped up into the air. After he rose to Achilles's face, Ichigo sent a powerful punch full of spiritual power at the warrior's left cheek. Just as he was about to spin and give the other a powerful kick, his retreating fist was caught in a large hand.

Achilles saw the blow coming, and he didn't care to avoid the blow. He just let the other hit him. The punch was powerful, but there was no spark of pain. The force just moved his head to the right. After he dropped his spear and caught the other, Achilles brought Ichigo to his chest, keeping his hand at the base of Ichigo's back. He blew chilly air at Ichigo's ear; as a result, Ichigo shivered.

"That tickled, Ichigo," whispered Achilles. Knowing that Grimmjow was in his other hand, Achilles still caught Ichigo's lips and hummed in satisfaction.

Ichigo ripped his lips away and complained, "You bastard!" Just as he was about to fill Achilles's ears with more colorful words, he was tossed onto Grimmjow's bed. He yelped after making contact and bouncing on the mattress a few more times.

"You'll pay for that," growled Grimmjow through clenched teeth. The sight of some god like bozo kissing his Ichigo was horrible. Anger surged through him, fueling his every desire to slice Achilles into slices of sandwich meat. _Just like the ones Rukia brought_, he mentally added. His teeth clenched tighter when Achilles looked at him with a pitiful frown. Grimmjow's left eye twitched.

The look. The same look he got from a lot of enemies. The look that made him feel less than what he really was. Grimmjow didn't like that look. He didn't like to be looked at like he was powerless. _Godly warrior or not! I rearrange his face so it looks like the bottom of my fuckin' sandals!_

He felt the hand on his throat tighten, so he gasped, trying to swallow more air. The grip on Pantera grew tighter, which made the pain in Grimmjow's throat seem less life threatening.

"'Pay?'" asked Achilles. He narrowed his golden eyes and said, "I don't think so." He took a step back and twisted his body. He tightened his grip on Grimmjow's throat to aim more accurately. With a fling of his arm, Grimmjow was released. He watched in glee as the blue haired man broke through the thick wall and soared through the air. He happily huffed when a large plume of sand mushroomed after Grimmjow's impact with the sand in the distance.

Ichigo was in shock after he witnessed Achilles hurl Grimmjow with ease. _Holy mother of all that is good_, Ichigo mentally gasped. His brown eyes were large in awe. When Achilles turned to face him, Ichigo held his breath and his heart pumped faster. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit_, he mentally chanted. As he moved backward on the bed, Achilles walked closer.

Then, the orange haired shinigami realised that he could've moved a while ago, which meant he could've avoided the large possibility of being cornered on the bed.

When Achilles settled his right knee on the bed, Ichigo panicked and turned over to crawl away. _Not again!_ he cursed. Ichigo reached the edge of the bed with a triumphant smile. When he lifted a leg to put over the edge, his other leg was grabbed, and he was pulled. Ichigo would not go without a fight, though. He held onto the edge, making Achilles exert more energy to pull him and move the bed.

Ichigo's eyes were trained on the floor when the bed moved, so he spotted his zanpaktou, Zangetsu, lying on the ground. _So that's where that bastard hid Zangetsu! Of all times to be present-_

Achilles disliked the struggle Ichigo was putting up, so he quickly crawled over and flipped the other. Ichigo lay on his back with surprise stuck on his face. _So he believed he could escape me. How amusing_, thought the large warrior with a smile. He moved to spread Ichigo's legs, but the other wouldn't have that.

Ichigo crossed his legs and bent them, so the other wouldn't be able to move his legs. "How dare you?" growled Ichigo. "You meet a girl for the first time and you instantly want to spread her legs? What kind of man are you?" Ichigo used his arms to help scoot away. He continued, "You should be ashamed. No stranger would spread a girl's legs on the first day. That's just wrong." He was near the edge, and his heart was beating with excitement to get away.

_Just a bit more_, thought Ichigo. He gasped in surprise when Achilles took hold of his legs, spread the long appendages, and pulled Ichigo until the other's butt was resting against the insides of Achilles legs. Ichigo quickly pulled down the dress to hide his more intimate parts. He kept his hands on the front of the dress, hoping to discourage Achilles from touching him down there.

"I am a man of many battles," replied Achilles. His eyes dragged up and down Ichigo's feminine form. "I am not a stranger, for I am your new lover. When I first saw you, I fell deeply in love with you." He brought up his hand to caress Ichigo's cheek.

"Perverted bastard!" Ichigo yelled. He slapped the hand away. "Grimmjow will come for me, and you'll be sorry." He wriggled more to get away from his provocative position, but his struggles didn't last long before Achilles growled something. Ichigo's bottom lip quivered as Achilles's golden eyes drilled him with an ominous emotion.

"You really think that blue haired ant will save you, dear maiden?" asked Achilles in an angered voice. "He is nothing! I am twenty times the man he is. He can't protect you like I can, and he can't stand solidly for you, either. I basically killed him when he broke the wall and landed on the outskirts of this palace! Who would you have, fair maiden? Me or that poor excuse for a man?"

_There he goes with that 'maiden' crap. It's not like I am a girl. Even though I referred to myself as a... Damn it! I called myself a girl! I'm such an idiot! I should've told him that I'm a guy_, Ichigo thought with a frown. _Whoop De doo! What does it all mean, Bazzle? Well, it means that I'm about to be taken away and killed or found out and killed. Shit! Doesn't fate ever play in my favor?_

Ichigo pushed himself upward to tell the other of his real gender, but he was pushed back down.

"Answer me, fair maiden? Do I have your heart?" asked Achilles in a more desperate tone. The other just gave him a confused look. "Am I not strong enough for you, fair maiden?"

_He's all big and bad with Grimmjow, but with me, this guy is a serious case of "please take me, my beloved." What a wimp. At least, Grimmjow doesn't mope like that. Well, he doesn't mope for real. Wait... That's the second time I thought highly of Grimmjow. That's a record I don't think I'll be able to break. Well, he does have good qualities..._ His thoughts were cut off by rub to his sides from two large hands. His gloved hands shot down to stop Achilles's hands from traveling further down toward his legs.

Remembering that Achilles was expecting an answer, Ichigo quickly thought of the most truthful response. "He may not be the strongest, but he's definitely more respectable than you are," Ichigo bit back. He quickly doubled his efforts to turn, crawl away, and kick about to gain momentum.

Achilles's eyes widened. _She still chooses that weakling over me? Impossible! The strongest always get what they want! _The warrior was enraged. Deciding that the other would change her mind, he swept down and halted Ichigo with his rough kiss. The other tried to pull away, but Achilles held Ichigo's chin with his large hand. He forced his tongue into the other's mouth and hummed when he tasted strawberries, a godly fruit of the world. As he continued to kiss the other, Achilles ripped off his chest plate and tossed it over the edge of the bed.

Ichigo moved his face away and inhaled a large amount of air. His heart was pounding with fear and heat. The larger warrior was making him fall deeper into fear. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to get away from the other, and he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to help Grimmjow. He knew that he was attaching himself more to the Espada than usual, but he didn't care. He needed to save Grimmjow and himself.

He pushed at Achilles's chest to create more distance, but the other wouldn't budge. With a growl, Ichigo brought back his fist to strike Achilles in the face again, but his move was stopped when the larger warrior released a larger amount of spiritual pressure. He arched his back in pain and clawed at the bed. His breath was being taken away by so much pressure and tension. His head almost balanced his body from trying to endure the other's pressure. He did his best to release a large amount of pressure to help himself breathe.

_He feels so much stronger. How the hell is he doing this? _thought Ichigo. His eyes were tightly shut as the pressure started to press his body down.

"I feel so much stronger," growled Achilles with a smile. He flexed his chest and arm muscles.

_No? Really? I didn't notice_, Ichigo thought sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. When the pressure jumped up more, Ichigo yelped out, "AH!"

Ichigo's scream echoed out toward the sands through the open gap. It sounded far enough to reach an unconscious Grimmjow, who opened his eyes upon hearing the scream. His blue eyes were limited by a golden orange shield floating over him.

_What the? _he thought. When he tried to move, his body thudded and burned, so he stopped.

"You're awake," piped Orihime with a smile. Her hands were held over him, helping the shield stay up. Her white clothing ruffled in the wind along with strands of her hair. She was seated on her calves as her hands over Grimmjow.

"No shit," growled Grimmjow. His body hurt, so he was in a foul mood. He tried to move again, but his body just crumpled below him. "Fuck!" he cursed. He turned his head and mentally growled, _Where the fuck is Pantera?_ He turned his head toward Orihime and spotted Nel next to her. With an irritated sigh, he asked, "Have you seen my zanpaktou?"

Nel was crouched next to Orihime. Her tattered clothes were replaced with Nnoitra's ripped up jacket, which was missing the collar and arms. Her breasts were still popping out a lot. A black belt was wrapped around her waist, and Nnoitra's cut pants adorned her legs. Nel was still barefoot. She smiled and brought up her right hand, which had Pantera put away in its sheath. "Orihime and I found it on our way here," she said. "We became more worried when we saw Pantera by herself."

Grimmjow dropped his head on the sand and grumbled about being seen as weak. He grimaced when he felt the sand slither through his hair. _Damn sand_, he thought. As he was healed, Grimmjow thought more of how to save Ichigo. His heart dropped at the thought of the other being taken from him. He wouldn't allow that to happen. He would tear a portal into every dimension before he gave up Ichigo. He would battle the god of war or sea if he had to.

"Did you find Ichigo?" asked Grimmjow in a worried tone.

Orihime pursed her lips, and her eyes saddened. She, too, was worried about Ichigo, and she was worried about Rukia. She knew the female shinigami was powerful, but the spiritual pressure that she and the others felt through the movie was just too much. She even saw Nel grimace at having to use more energy to uphold the powerful shield. Nel, thankfully, managed to keep the shield upheld.

_Oh, Rukia. I hope you're safe_, thought Orihime. _Ichigo, please, fight as hard as you can._

"Nnoitra and Rukia went after him. Orihime and I felt your pressure pulsing from all the way out here, so we split up," said Nel. Her eyes saddened at the thought of Nnoitra. She did insist switching places with her lover, for she felt the new pressure to slightly overwhelm her. Nnoitra, however, insisted that she was making him seem weak; thus, Nnoitra was at Las Noches fighting.

"Shit," Grimmjow groaned as his head dug farther into the sand. "The guy said his name was Achilles," he announced with a frown. He didn't know why he announced the warrior's name. Grimmjow just figured he could complain just a little due to his downed state.

"Like the Greek warrior Achilles?" asked Orihime.

"Yeah," replied Grimmjow. "The fucker threw me through my bedroom wall. He was ramblin' about doin' Cupid's chores and takin' Ichigo away from me." He growled as he looked up into the orange shield, "I won't let that bastard get away with what he's doin'. He's got another thing comin' if he thinks he can take my Ichigo away from me!" Anger flooded from his chest and spread through his body. His body tingled with the warmth.

"Oh," said Orihime with a recalling look. "I learned about him in class. He was defeated when an arrow was shot through his ankle. Apparently, no weapon can pierce his skin, but his heel was the only part that wasn't protected." She looked down at Grimmjow, who was staring at her with wide eyes and a gaped mouth. "What?" she whined. "Is there something in my teeth?" Her tongue poked around her front teeth.

_His heel? Are you fuckin' serious? _Grimmjow mentally growled. _All I have to do is slice at his legs more often, I guess. Seriously? His fuckin' heel? Who the hell would have that lame ass weakness? _

"Nothing," frowned Orihime after her teeth were thoroughly felt by her tongue. "Nel, is there anything in my teeth?" She smiled.

Nel shook her head.

"Good," said the strawberry haired girl. She looked down and noticed that Grimmjow's body was completely healed. She withdrew her hands and hairpins. "You're done," she announced. Before she could stand, Nel had her up in her arms. "Nel?"

"Don't worry, Orihime," said Nel, "remember that I won't drop you." The other nodded at her.

Grimmjow was up and ready to rock Achilles's world. He had snatched his sword from Nel, so he put the sheath back on his belt and unsheathed Pantera. He crouched and flashed forward. He would not miss the fight with Achilles, especially when Ichigo's involved.

After Ichigo had yelled out, Achilles didn't waste time in swooping down and kissing Ichigo again. He enjoyed watching the other struggle under his power. His muscles tingled with strength and jitteriness. His heart fluttered with excitement, and his skin felt like it was being tickled. His eyes glowed completely gold; no whites were left.

Ichigo felt limp and useless. The pressure and body strength together were too much for him to handle by himself. All he could do was hope Achilles didn't hurt him. His fear deepened when he saw the other's eyes glow completely gold. _What is he?_

"Love me," commanded Achilles in a much more deep voice. He gripped the other's sides, making Ichigo wriggle in discomfort. His hands squeezed Ichigo's body until they descended to the other's thighs. His hands went on the inside of Ichigo's thighs and squeezed, making Ichigo yelp and wriggle more. "Love me, fair Ichigo. Love me more than you have loved that blue haired ant," he drawled to the other.

"Don't think so," came a familiar voice.

Ichigo looked up and saw Nnoitra launch Achilles through Grimmjow's wall with a swing of Santa Teresa. "Nnoitra?" he asked. Since Achilles was no longer in the room, he sat up and saw Rukia, too. "Rukia," he said with a smile.

Rukia and Nnoitra had droplets of sweat on their brows; Rukia was sweating more, though. The black haired shiniami was panting more than the taller of the two, and she was kneeling on one knee with her sword supporting her. Nnoitra was a little hunched over, but he was just in the right position to fight off Achilles.

Ichigo's moment of happiness was broken when Nnoitra started laughing and pointing at him. He knew why the other was the laughing. He frowned and yelled, "Shut up!" He swung his legs over the bed and quickly retrieved Zangetsu before he stood. Still ignoring Nnoitra's tear filled laughs, Ichigo smoothed his dress and fluffed up his hair. He turned and asked, "Do you have a problem with this?"

Rukia wasn't laughing, so she answered for the other, who fell and rolled on the ground. "Ichigo, you're wearing a dress," she said bluntly.

"No shit," replied Ichigo. "I basically got used to it in the past hour." He hauled Zangetsu up and rested it on his shoulder. A scowl rested on his feminine features, and his hip was cocked with a left hand resting on it.

"Did Grimmjow- Ahahaha! Do that- Hahahaha! to you?" laughed Nnoitra as he tried to stand up correctly. The spoon like collar was bending from Nnoitra throwing back his head and laughing.

"Well, you do look pretty, Ichigo," commented Rukia. She sighed and stood up fully.

"There are more pressing matters than my clothes," scolded Ichigo as he shook a fist at Nnoitra. His face was turning red from embarrassment and flattery. When the two were still in place, Ichigo scolded, "Are you two just gonna stand there? There's a huge guy here with a crazy ass idea to take me to the Underworld. I really don't want to meet the rest of the Greek gods, so I just want to say something: help me!"

Rukia nodded. "Of course, that's why we're here. We felt a large amount of spiritual pressure threatening Nel's barrier. We figured that the pressure was coming from someone powerful, and powerful enemies are usually attracted to you, Ichigo. Nnoitra and I came here for you, while Orihime and Nel went to find Grimmjow." _For Soul Society's sake, I hope Orihime's okay. _She asked, "Does he have a weakness?"

Despite Nnoitra's behavior and Rukia's plain response, Ichigo was glad the two were there. If they hadn't have come at the time they did, Ichigo didn't know what would've happened. He shuddered at the possibilities and mentally thanked the two in front of him for saving him.

_Weakness, weakness... _pondered the orange haired shinigami._ I know I had a class on Greek mythology, and I know I've heard of Achilles. Damn it, what was his weakness?... Oh yeah! His heel. I can't believe I forgot about Achilles's heel! But... The guy's powerful. I couldn't push him off of me earlier, so the odds of reaching his weak point are very, very slim._

Ichigo sighed and answered, "His heel. But, I doubt any of us would get close enough to take a hit at it." His eyes went from Rukia to Nnoitra, who was taking in deep breaths to stop laughing. Then, he spotted Achilles's spear. _Oh my God! Yes! He's defenseless_, thought Ichigo with a smile.

"What are you so happy about?" asked Nnoitra spotting the smile. His breathing was normal. He looked to the walls as he swung his weapon onto his shoulder. "When this is over, Grimmjow's gonna be pissed about his room, and I ain't sharin' mine." _If Grimmjow has to room with somebody, I hope he rooms with Ulquiorra or Starrk. I am definitely not into roommates. _He looked at Ichigo and jerked his head toward the wall created by Achilles.

"Achilles's spear is by your feet. Kick it somewhere. I think the odds are more even if he has no weapon," said Ichigo in a serious tone.

Nnoitra looked at the floor and quickly picked up the spear, which was longer than his whole body. _What the fuck?_ he thought. He shrugged and quickly flashed away to his room, where "Twilight" was still playing. When Edward's face appeared on the screen, Nnoitra quickly aimed the spear and threw it at the screen. Edward's forehead was pierced, and the spear kabobed the television.

"Take that Edward Cuntface," growled Nnoitra. "Good riddance to that fuckin' t.v., too." He kicked the television box and quickly ran away. He wouldn't get in trouble for the television, but Aizen doesn't continuously supply entertainment equipment. _I'll just steal another one_, he shrugged. He appeared back in Grimmjow's room and announced, "Let's get this fight over with. Ichigo, you go out first. He won't hurt you, right? So, you're safer to toss out- I mean lead us outside." He gave a over sized grin.

Ichigo shook his head. _There is no way in Hueco Mundo, the Underworld, or Hell that I'm going out the same hole as Achilles_, thought Ichigo with a grimace. He clicked and clacked his way over toward the hole Grimmjow was thrown out of. He looked back at Rukia and Nnoitra, who were following him. "Alright. Let's go," he said with a braver smile.

Ichigo turned and hopped out of the hole. His hair ties loosened and fell of his hair, making the long strands flutter behind him like a long cape. The plaid dress ruffled in the wind, and the layers of ruffles in the dress flapped to cover most of Ichigo's private area.

The orange haired shinigami brought his sword down from his shoulder and swung it out, showing that he was prepared for what ever Achilles had to throw at him. Ichigo squinted to gain a better view of where Achilles might be. When he turned about three hundred and sixty degrees and didn't spot the golden haired warrior, Ichigo's heart skipped a beat. Then, powerful waves of pressure was raining down on him from above.

_Oh shit_, Ichigo thought. He felt a tap on his shoulder, so he looked back to see Rukia pointing up and Nnoitra looking up. He gulped and looked up. On a red pillar stood Achilles, who looked extremely malicious. _When did we get near this pillar, again?_

Achilles pointed at Nnoitra and bellowed, "Are you also here to challenge me for fair Ichigo's hand?" He didn't recall being told about a lanky warrior.

Nnoitra snorted and burst out laughing.

Rukia slapped her forehead and sighed. _Moron_, she thought.

_Pest_, thought Achilles. He looked to his fair maiden, and he noticed she was carrying a large weapon. He raised a brow and asked, "Why does a fair maiden need to carry such a large weapon? A woman who carries a blade must be under the influence of Artemis or Athena, but you don't seem chaste."

Ichigo gaped. He could only stare and grow more angry, especially with Nnoitra's laughter getting louder. _Not chaste? I'm a fuckin' virgin! What an asshole!_

"Can you repeat your question?" asked Nnoitra. When Achilles asked his question toward Nnoitra, the Espada burst out laughing again.

"What amuses you so?" boomed Achilles. His patience was wearing thin. The lanky warrior was annoying, and his maiden was confusing.

Nnoitra sniffed and wiped a tear away. "I'm sorry... Wait. Nevermind, I'm not sorry," said Nnoitra. "You should know that Ichigo-" He was cut off by a roar.

All looked toward the other side of the pillar, where Grimmjow just released his form. The cat like Espada fired the pins from his arms into the pillar, sending red slabs of concrete everywhere. The explosion caused a large wave of sand to rise and coat everything around it.

The golden haired warrior hopped off of the pillar and appeared by Grimmjow, who was ready to strike.

Grimmjow's blue hair violently whipped about as he spun and landed a kick in Achilles's face. When the other was falling to the ground, Grimmjow flashed to Achilles and started landing jabs and kicks to the face and abdomen. Grimmjow spun forwards and brought down his leg on to Achilles's head. When the warrior finally hit the ground and created a large crater and dust cloud, Grimmjow yelled, "Ichigo is mine!"

Ichigo heard the touching claim, and he blushed. His gloved hand covered his mouth as his wide eyes were staring at Grimmjow. He couldn't help but absorb the moment. Ichigo was spaced out looking at Grimmjow, who was smiling at him. Brown eyes wandered over the other, wanting to remember the moment Grimmjow fought for him.

Grimmjow was in awe at his Ichigo. The other was just beautiful standing in the air. His blues observed every detail. The billowing dress, the flowing hair, and the glittery eyes. Grimmjow mentally snapped pictures of Ichigo. When he approached Ichigo, he was embraced. A clawed hand raked through the long orange strands and trailed to the base of Ichigo's back.

"Did ya miss me?" asked Grimmjow in a whisper. He kissed the other on the head.

The orange haired shinigami looked up and flicked the other on the forehead, which made Grimmjow growl. "Don't you ever disappear like that again, Grimmjow. That Greek guy had me pinned to the bed for far too long," complained Ichigo.

"What?" growled Grimmjow. He inspected Ichigo's face and appearance. "What did-"

"Nothing too bad," answered Ichigo cutting in. He hoisted his weapon back on his shoulder and added, "I want to give this guy a piece of my mind."

As Grimmjow and Ichigo were rejoicing, Achilles sat up and got to his feet. Anger was coursing through every bit of him. His muscles twitched, and his teeth ground against each other. He could see Ichigo and Grimmjow embracing, and Achilles wasn't happy about it. With a loud roar, Achilles's eyes were thundering gold and his hair was flowing out like lightning. His armor melted off, leaving his armored bottoms as the only source of decency. The sand swirled around him, making his appearance seem more ominous.

Nnoitra coughed when he felt the pressure rising. He looked down into the swirling vortex of the sand and grimaced. "Time for some control," he said. He set his weapon at his side and poked out his tongue. "Cero," he said. As the golden orb formed, Nnoitra felt a presence at his side. His eyes widened and looked toward his right, where Achilles was floating.

Achilles backhanded Nnoitra, sending the cero elsewhere.

The fifth Espada had bit down on his tongue, so there were bite wounds along the sides of his tongue. Nnoitra's body was flying toward the ground with blood flying from his mouth in droplets. His body was quickly caught by Nel, who clutched at him with worry.

Rukia barely managed to pull out her zanpaktou halfway from its sheath when Achilles slapped her, too. She blacked out from impact, so she didn't hear Orihime scream her name. Her body was quickly caught in the orange shield of her hairpins.

Ichigo's eyes widened when he saw Rukia falling. Predicting that Achilles would come for Grimmjow next, Ichigo quickly turned their bodies and hugged Grimmjow with all of his might. The other came back for him, so he would return the favor by shielding Grimmjow with his body. He shut his eyes and buried his face in Grimmjow's chest to wait for the blow.

All Ichigo heard was a clash. He opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see a black haired male holding Achilles's wrist. "They passed," came the deep voice. The new warrior easily tossed Achilles far, so he could face the couple at his back.

Grimmjow and Ichigo gaped at the being. The new warrior's appearance made the couple awe at him in admiration.

"Who are you?" asked Ichigo. He was still clutching at Grimmjow's chest.

The being smiled and answered, "I am Ares, the god of war." The faces made by the couple amused him, so he chuckled lightly. "Do not worry. I shall not interfere with your merriment. I am here for a loose spirit." He turned and looked at Achilles's rising form.

"I want to help," said Ichigo. His grip on Grimmjow loosened. He hadn't had a chance at hitting Achilles with his power, so he wanted to help out. He wanted to show Achilles that he wasn't easily impressed with power. He wanted to show him that Cupid was wrong for sending Achilles to test the bond between himself and Grimmjow.

Ares turned his head and suggested, "You should stay back and take care of your lover. I will handle this." He was rippling with excitement for battle. Ares rarely had any battles, so the chance at a fight with Achilles made him happy. On a side note, he admired Ichigo's will to fight a being much stronger to show his strength. _Silly spirit._

Achilles wiped away the dust in his face after getting up. He had just got out of a crater, so the renewed prior position was annoying. He got to his feet and hissed as he forced his power to increase. He would not go back. Not yet. Not without his prize.

"Ares!" bellowed Achilles. He charged forward.

Ares pursed his lips and quickly brought out his sword. As he put his sword out in front of himself, Achilles stopped and gaped at him. "You know my sword, Achilles," said Ares. "You know that your skin would just melt at the teeth of my blade's edge." The sword gleamed brightly. The blade was blood red with a black hilt. Black vine like webs corded along the blade in a threatening manner, and the tip of the blade was spike and bent back, making stabbing much more gruesome.

Ares swung his blade at Achilles, sending a large wave of flame. He was disappointed that his blow didn't land on his opponent. _I guess he's a little faster than I thought._ Ares was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a tinge of pain in his abdomen. He looked down and saw Achilles land a blow in his gut.

"Gah!" yelped Ares as his form was launched backward by the punch.

Achilles turned his sights on Ichigo and started for the orange haired shinigami. He stalked through the air menacingly, and his eyes narrowed at Ichigo in particular.

Ichigo challenged Achilles's gaze. He turned. When Ichigo felt Grimmjow's hand on his shoulder, he turned his head and stared at the dangerous blues. "Don't interfere," he said in a serious tone. Ichigo brought up his zanpaktou and pointed it at Achilles.

"You dare raise your blade at me?" snarled Achilles.

The orange haired shinigami just sneered in return and yelled, "Bankai!" An angry swirl of black spiritual pressure surround Ichigo and Grimmjow. Ichigo eyed his sword's change and smiled at the appearing black color and chain. He looked down and grimaced. The clothes didn't disappear, but the dress was different. The plaid dress was black with tatters on the ends of the sleeves and skirt. The stockings and gloves were black, too. The ribbons stayed white, but the shoes were no longer black but white. The largest change was Ichigo's hair color. His natural hair and extensions were white with red strands raining down the sides of his face. _Great. Now I look like a maid with the wrong uniform and dyed hair. Why do I still have to wear the damn dress? I thought I'd have my shinigami clothes back. This sucks, Achilles sucks, and Cupid sucks!_

A cloud of sand that swirled with the spiritual energy was wiped away with a slash of Ichigo's sword. He smiled at Achilles's still angered face. _I'm going to need everything to defeat this guy. I know Ares can't do it by himself_, he thought. With that thought, Ichigo dragged his hand over his face, making his hollow mask appear. He chuckled a watery laugh when Achilles's eyes widened.

_What trickery is this? Has Cupid set me up? Have I been tricked to believe that the fair maiden would just fall for me? Well, I shall not give up. She shall be mine. I'll take her by force if I have to_, thought Achilles. He charged forward.

Ichigo brought back his sword and yelled, "Getsuga Tensho!" The large black wall of power collided with Achilles, sending the blonde warrior back into another pillar. Ichigo stood proudly as he watched the pillar crumble.

"You look fuckin' hot," came Grimmjow's comment. He thought about the change in color, so he quickly crouched and looked up Ichigo's dress. _Yes! The thong is blue! _thought he with a lecherous grin. He quickly stood up.

Ichigo just frowned behind his mask. _Does he really need to make that kind of comment? _he mentally growled.

Ares rose from the sands and growled. He was not going to lose this fight. He had to win and bring Achilles back to his cage. He awed at the large amount of power coming from the orange haired warrior. _Maybe he can help_, thought the god of war. He got to his feet, picked up his sword, and launched himself into the air.

"Babe, ya should stay in your bankai form. I'm lovin' the new look," suggested Grimmjow with a smile. What he really wanted was for Ichigo to keep the blue thong. The color not only matched his hair and eyes, but the thong made him drool so much more.

The white haired shinigami sighed and turned his head around. "You're still not on safe grounds for the dress incident," he said bluntly, "so you should concentrate more on how you're gonna keep your dick attached to your body." He cocked his hip out and laid his free fist on it.

Grimmjow quickly covered his manly parts and hissed, "You wouldn't."

"I would," growled Ichigo. "Plus, you hit me on the head twice today. How the hell am I supposed to get over that?" He frowned when Grimmjow congratulated himself aloud. Ichigo shook his head and turned his attention back to his front. His eyes grew wide when Achilles was standing on a cloud of gold.

A drop of sweat dripped down Ichigo's cheek. _He's stronger...What the hell? _he thought as he cringed at the increased spiritual pressure. He gasped when his mask chipped along the jaw. "Shit," he cursed aloud.

"Fair maiden," called Achilles.

Ichigo just looked up. Achilles's appearance was much more ominous. He didn't know how to react. The other was getting stronger and stronger by the minute.

"You have great power, and I see that you are unwilling to love me," Achilles's voice boomed. "Though, I shall not let you have your way, so you should yield yourself to me before I snap that blue haired ant in half." He sneered in Grimmjow's direction.

"What did that bastard say?" growled Grimmjow. He tried to go around Ichigo, but he was stopped by an arm. He looked at Ichigo, who looked back at him.

"When I say so, fire your strongest cero," commanded Ichigo. He took off in Achilles's direction. His speed was great, so he heard the wind whispering in his ear and heard the flapping of his clothing. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ares coming up from behind, charging his inflamed weapon. "Grimmjow!"

Ichigo brought back his sword to release his attack as Ares brought back his sword to stab. While the other two were readying their strikes, Grimmjow prepared a blue cero in his hand. He minimized the size, so Ichigo wouldn't get hurt.

"Gran Rey Cero!" bellowed Grimmjow. The blue blast beamed past Ichigo, who released a giant wall of energy.

A giant wall of sand bloomed around Ichigo, Ares, and Achilles. Grimmjow had to whip his arm through the dust a few times for a chunk of the dust to come down. He quickly made his way into the dust cloud and appeared in the eye. He awed at the great defeat of Achilles, for the other was brought down in a malicious manner.

The golden haired warrior was laid upon the ground with a big hole in his chest. There was no blood, only dust. Golden eyes were closed, and the great glow was gone.

The blue haired Espada shook his head. "Ichigo," called Grimmjow. He looked around and saw Ichigo supporting himself on his first form zanpaktou. The Dorothy outfit was back to its original colors. He flashed toward the other and held him up. One arm encircled Ichigo's upper back, while another hand lifted Ichigo's chin.

Ichigo's eyes fluttered. "Grimmjow," he whispered. His lips curved into a smile. He wanted to tell the other about the great piercing, but his body was limp from the sudden change in spiritual pressure. "I'm fine," he said.

Grimmjow gulped and nodded. "I was worried," he said, "did I hit you?" Despite Ichigo telling him that he was fine, Grimmjow still had to ask. The other shook his head. "Good." He gave Ichigo a chaste kiss and carried him fully in his arms. He flashed toward his room, where he found Orihime healing Nnoitra and Rukia on the floor. Nel was sitting on Nnoitra's side.

Ichigo noticed the knocked out pair and asked, "Are they okay?"

Nel looked up at Ichigo and answered, "Yeah." She looked back at Nnoitra and thought, _My Nnoitra, you were truly brave today. _Her eyes wandered to Rukia and she added, _So were you, Rukia. _She smiled fondly.

Orihime was trying not to cry over Rukia. She was saving her, after all. _I'm glad I caught you when I did, Rukia. I was so afraid you'd be hurt._ She sighed and took in a deep breath to keep from crying.

Grimmjow was already turned away from the other couples. He set Ichigo down on the bed, then he phased out of his first release form. He sheathed Pantera and tapped the sword fondly.

"Grimmjow," came Ichigo's voice.

The blue haired Espada looked at his Ichigo and smiled. He admired the other's hair, for it bloomed out like a giant flower. He also admired the others grateful smile. He didn't care for Achilles or anyone else at that moment; all that mattered was Ichigo.

"Thanks for coming back," said Ichigo. His gloved hand grabbed Grimmjow's and squeezed gently. _Now that I see our situation from a brighter light. I think that falling in love with Grimmjow won't be so bad. _His heart fluttered when Grimmjow squeezed his hand back.

"Always," replied Grimmjow.

As Grimmjow was leaving, Ares had picked himself up from the ground and sheathed his sword. He thanked Zeus for no blood to wipe off of his blade. He smoothed his hair back, for his helmet was thrown off on impact with Achilles.

He looked down at the fallen warrior and thought, _I can't believe that my blade actually pierced his skin. I would've thought that his skin would become tougher with the amount of power he absorbed in this realm. I guess the effect is actually in reverse. _

_I'm glad that shinigami came when he did. His added power helped my blade pierce Achilles. I guess I shall thank him later._

Ares passed his hand over Achilles's corpse; thus, a green orb appeared in his hand when he faced his palm upward. The green orb was the great warrior's soul. With a sour smile, Ares turned and ripped a hole into the underworld. He bypassed the green energy and Cerberus with ease. The energy wasn't too clingy, and the dog was afraid of him.

He made his way into Hades's chambers, but he didn't find the other there. Thus, he entered Hades's collection room and waltzed toward Achilles's cell. He placed the orb inside and watched as the soul reappeared as Achilles. The warrior yelled out in agony as his body was shredded by his fate and turned back into dust. The skull fell onto the pile and tilted a little.

_Poor wretch_, thought Ares. He had little respect for the warrior now. He took a step back, closed the cell door, and replaced the chains. He had been in the room with Hades before, so he knew the layout and rules. Ares looked up and gaped in horror.

Above Achilles's cell was an open cell: Hercules's open cell. The golden chains were hanging in a limp manner on both sides of the open cell.

Ares quickly jumped up and looked inside. "No," he said in disbelief. His eyes didn't see the dust and skull in their rightful place. "That lunatic!" bellowed Ares. Ares landed on his feet. He turned and saw Hades with his arms crossed. The lord of the dead looked bored and uninterested. His purple robe bloomed around him, dragging at his back.

"I see you brought back Achilles's soul," said Hades in a blank voice. "Good." He walked closer and tsked. "Hercules is loose." His dark eyes looked up at Hercules's cell.

The god of war was taken aback by Hades's calm nature. "Lord Hades," said Ares, "did you lend the soul of Zeus's son to Cupid?" His eyes were filled with worry. _Cupid has gone mad! How can the lord of the dead be so calm?_

Hades chuckled and shook his head. "I have done no such thing, yet I do know that the little bastard has taken my most precious soul," replied the lord of the dead. "Ares, you of all should know what would happen if Hercules were to stay out for more than an hour. You've witnessed Achilles go insane with power, but his chains were bronze for his less powerful soul. You know that Hercules's chains were gold for a reason."

Hades walked closer to Ares and hissed, "I want his soul back. If Zeus finds out that his son's soul is no longer in my collection, he'll try to tear off my head. I have an entire realm to command; I don't have time to spare for finding lost souls." Hades grabbed Ares by the chest plate and dragged him closer. "Bring back Hercules, and handle your Cupid friend. I no longer trust the god of love." He thrust the other back.

"Do you understand me?" asked Hades. "Remember that Zeus is the last God you want involved in your daily affairs. If he gets involved, I shall make the rest of your eternal life a living hell on Olympus."

Ares nodded and quickly turned. He would have to find Cupid, snap the other back to common sense, and return Hercules. As he was near the gates, Ares thought, _Cupid is taking this challenge overboard; he must be stopped. I know the challenge can continue without Cupid at the reigns. Bah! I just hope Cupid hasn't released Hercules onto those spirits. They would die faster than they could comprehend Hercules's strength. _

As Hades was scolding Ares, Cupid was walking back and forth, thinking of what to to do with Zeus's son. The Espada and Shinigami have proven themselves truly bonded. He wouldn't have that. Cupid wasn't going to allow the spirits to win his challenge so easily. They were tampering with love, his main element. Plus, Ares got involved. That wasn't fair. He stopped and turned toward his new toy. A smile broke on to his lips. _I know what to do with you._

**Author's Note:**

**You're all probably thinking, "This author is insane." Well, you're right. I am insane, but I hope you all trust me enough to continue. Sorry for the lack of interaction between the other couples.**

**Achilles's heel wasn't necessary because of the reverse effect. He got stronger, but his skin got weaker. Ya get it? His heel is way too old school to deal with. I wanted something new.**

**Ares is such a an awesome Greek god, and he took a scolding from Hades. He's got huevos! lol**

**Yes, I brought Hercules into the mix. Why? I'm showing you all that Cupid is going insane. So insane that he stole Hercules. As you can see, Cupid is way past letting the spirits have their way so quickly. Don't worry, though. The challenge is still on, and the actual events concerning Hercules might suprise you.**

**So far, a lot of people want Grimmjow and Ichigo to win the challenge, so they're in the lead. **

**If you're usually a commenter, what do you think? And, write "High Five" if you got at least one laugh out of this chapter. **


	6. Revelation of Truth

**Chapter Six: Revelation of Truth**

Cupid smirked wickedly at Hercules. He walked toward the other and said, "What do you desire most, Hercules?" He crossed his arms as he averted his direction and circled the freed spirit. He studied the other. To him, Hercules was perfect for spreading havoc. His fingers ran along the lion pelt on Hercules's back. Then, Cupid ripped the lion hide away from Hercules's back and admired the golden fur. Seeing the hide as a useless piece of flesh, Cupid thrust it on the floor.

Blue eyes kept staring at the porcelain floor, and black hair showered to hide masculine cheekbones and a strong chin. Large shoulders were relaxed and lazed on broad arms that rested tensely on thick thighs.

When Hercules didn't answer, Cupid continued, "You know who I am, Hercules. I'm Cupid, the god of love. I can grant you great gifts, power, or love. So tell me: what do you desire most?" He stopped his circling in front of Hercules. He looked down upon the naked man, who had yet to look Cupid in the face since the release.

The god of love was growing annoyed at Hercules's silence. _Funny. I remembered this man always showing off his strength. What keeps his mouth shut? _he thought. Cupid grabbed Hercules's chin and pulled the other's face up.

"Why so glum?" asked Cupid in a smooth and charming tone. He smiled when Hercules looked away with a slight touch of pink on the bridge of his golden nose.

Hercules kept his mouth shut.

Cupid frowned. He squeezed Hercules's chin, making the other hiss in pain. "So you do have a voice," said Cupid. He dropped the other's jaw and added, "I'm a very patient god, but right now, I really need you to cooperate with me."

"You can't," came Hercules's rough and deep voice. Blue eyes looked up into green.

"I can't what?" asked Cupid. He crossed his arms and continued to stare down at Hercules.

"I know you freed Achilles," said Hercules. His black locks were still in his face and draping around him in a wavy manner. "I know he went mad with power," he continued. "You saw him break down."

Cupid tilted his head and asked, "What of it?"

Hercules frowned. "His chains were bronze for his lower status, Cupid. My chains were gold," he elaborated. "If I'm not in my cell soon, I'll lose myself and wreck all in my path. My strength will threaten the balance between Olympus and the human realm. I beg you to put me back."

The god of love only chuckled and straightened himself. "I don't plan on putting you back, Hercules," he said, "I saw what happened, and I'll just say that I did it to better entertain myself." He turned and looked at the cloud, where the spirits were socializing more amorously.

"That's twisted," hissed Hercules. "You're mad!"

Cupid spun back and backhanded Hercules, who fell off of his stool and landed on the floor. "I am not mad," growled the god. "I am doing this to make things fair. I shall do all in my power to adjust things as I see fit." He stomped over to Hercules and grabbed the other by the hair; he pulled Hercules up to stare at him face to face.

"You will not defy me, Hercules," commanded Cupid. "You will fight. If you do not fight, I shall ensure that your suffering in the Underworld is worse than eternal starvation!"

Hercules stared defiantly at the god as both of his arms held onto Cupid's wrist, but the god was apathetic to the pressure on his wrist. He concluded that his strength was not hurting the other like he intended for it to.

_I cannot rely on my words to persuade him_, thought Cupid. He put up his other palm and swirled his hand in the air. A white mist appeared around Cupid's hand; the mist condensed to a white collar that looked like a braided piece of rope. Cupid grabbed the collar and strapped it around Hercules's thick neck.

"What have you put on me?" growled Hercules. He clenched his teeth as the collar was tightened.

Cupid smirked and released the spirit. He looked down and replied, "A collar. The collar is designed to squeeze every time I command it. To avoid being choked to death, all you have to do is fight." He knelt down and hissed, "Do you understand?"

Hercules only stared at the god with pure anger.

As Cupid was wondering how to get Hercules to talk, Ichigo and Grimmjow were having a huge fight. They had already spent the night together after Ares officially left with Achilles. In the morning, Grimmjow tried to redress Ichigo into a corset and nylons, but Ichigo wasn't having it. Ichigo was still upset about being knocked out and dressed up. The ruckus they made attracted Nnoitra and Nel from Nnoitra's room and woke up Rukia and Nel.

"Ow!" complained Grimmjow as he rubbed the top of his head. He glared at Ichigo with his bottom lip sticking out.

Ichigo crossed his arms. He couldn't find his original clothes, which meant he was stuck wearing the Dorothy outfit. He was scowling at Grimmjow with his arms crossed and his hip cocked to the side. Zangetsu was resting peacefully on his back.

"What was that for?" whined Grimmjow. He was sitting on the ground with his legs bent in front of him. He was knocked down and pounded on mercilessly by Ichigo.

"That was for knocking me out the first time," answered Ichigo. He cracked his gloved knuckles and clicked closer to Grimmjow. He punched Grimmjow across the face. "That was for knocking me out the second time." Ichigo then brought up his leg and brought it down on Grimmjow, who backed away just in time to see the base of the heel hit the tiled floor in between his legs.

Ichigo frowned and decided to play dirty. He pulled out Zangetsu and set it on the bed. He settled his legs on both sides of Grimmjow's waist. The other was leaning on his arms, smirking at Ichigo. The orange haired shinigami smiled and clutched both sides of Grimmjow's collar with both hands. He pulled the other closer and lidded his eyes as he neared the other's lips. At the moment Grimmjow was ready to kiss him, Ichigo sent a punch to the other's nose.

Grimmjow fell back clutching at his face. "Ah Fuck! What the fuck!" he whined.

"That's for dressing me up like a girl," growled Ichigo. He got to his feet and turned away from the pained Espada. He walked back to the bed and picked up Zangetsu to replace it on his bare back.

Nnoitra was doubled over on the floor laughing. Tears streamed from his eyes as he pointed at Grimmjow and continued to howl his loud laugh. He rolled onto his hands and knees and pounded on the floor with a tight fist.

Nel had her arms crossed as she shook her head at Nnoitra's loud banter. Rukia and Orihime joined Nel in just watching Ichigo pound on Grimmjow and Nnoitra roll in happiness.

Orihime frowned when Grimmjow tried tripping Ichigo, which led to his face being implanted in the ground. When the blue haired Espada rolled in agony, she spoke, "Um, Ichigo." The orange haired shinigami looked back at her, so Orihime suggested, "I think he's had enough. I think Grimmjow understands that he was being mean to you."

Ichigo looked on the ground, where Grimmjow was groaning in pain. He shrugged and said, "I guess you're right, Orihime." He walked away from Grimmjow's form and stood next to Orihime and Rukia.

"You have a heart of gold," commented Rukia to Orihime. She was looking up with a smile when Orihime gave her a tight hug. _Crap. She's being touchy_, thought Rukia.

"Oh thank you, Rukia," squealed Orihime as she used both arms to squeeze the eyeballs out of the smaller woman. Her large breasts covered Rukia's face, so the other was flailing her arms.

"Uh, Orihime," called Ichigo. He caught sight of Rukia's struggling form hiding in between Orihime's breasts.

Orihime turned her head and answered, "Yes." A smile graced her face.

"I think you're suffocating Rukia," said Ichigo. He was pointing at the smaller shinigami.

Orihime gasped and immediately separated her arms. "I'm so sorry, Rukia! Are you okay?! Do you need me to heal you?!" worried Orihime as she watched Rukia fall to the floor.

Rukia was laying on her back. Her chest rose and fell in deep breaths. The pain of not being able to breathe was subsiding. She lifted her head and replied, "I'm fine, Orihime. Just don't squeeze me that hard." Her head fell back on the floor.

Nnoitra was still spewing bits of laughter as he rose to his feet. He looked up and saw Nel looking at him as if he were insane. "What?" he asked after clearing his throat. He straightened his jacket and dusted off his uniform.

Nel shook her head.

"Good," said Nnoitra as he smoothed his uniform one last time. He looked back at Grimmjow and commanded, "Get up, Grimmjow. Ya look like a moron just laying on the floor."

Grimmjow shot up in a sitting position as he still held his nose. "Like you're one to talk," snapped he. "At least, I wasn't rolling on the ground with a clown smile." He got to his feet and continued to challenge Nnoitra with his gaze.

"Ya wanna go, Kitty?" growled Nnoitra as he reached for Santa Teresa.

"Bring it!" roared Grimmjow as he pulled out Pantera.

At that moment, Nel and Ichigo immediately sprung into action. Nel jumped in front of Nnoitra with her hand on his chest, while Ichigo clicked in front of Grimmjow with his arms crossed.

"You," started Nel, "are not fighting anymore." She put a fist to her hip.

"What?" hissed Nnoitra. His lip twitched.

"Don't even think of going into your release form," warned Ichigo as he looked at Grimmjow.

"Or what?" growled Grimmjow. He crouched low with his hand on the blade.

"Ya think you can stop me, Nel?" pushed Nnoitra. He walked closer to tower over the green haired woman. He narrowed his eyes for added effect.

Nel frowned and easily plucked Santa Teresa from his hands. She then hid the weapon behind her back and walked away.

"Nel!" complained Nnoitra as he threw his arms in the air. "What the hell!" When Nel kept walking, Nnoitra stomped away and jumped out of the first crack he saw. "I'll be back!" he yelled. "You'll see. I'll get you and your orange sidekick, too."

Grimmjow looked around Ichigo and snickered at Nnoitra's reaction. As he was distracted, he felt Pantera leave his grasp. He looked up at Ichigo, who was holding Pantera in his left hand. "Babe!" he started.

"Don't you 'babe' me," scolded Ichigo. "You're not getting your sword back." He held the sword firmly at his side.

"Why?" complained Grimmjow further. He stood up and clenched his fists. His blue eyes were narrowed angrily.

Ichigo walked closer and put his face close to the other's. "Because I said so," he hissed. Ichigo turned and walked away toward the other girls. He heard Grimmjow mutter something, but he didn't want to deal with the other. He just rolled his eyes and stood next to Nel, who had Santa Teresa over her shoulder.

_I guess being the more feminine one of the relationship has its benefits_, thought Ichigo with a smile. _Wait. Now I'm addressing myself with the more feminine side? Great. I might as well mark myself as a girl. _

"Wow, Ichigo," said Orihime, "you and Nel are really firm."

Ichigo and Nel nodded in unison.

"Those two would have destroyed the rest of this place," said Ichigo. "Then Aizen would have found out about us, and we'd be screwed. I mean, who wouldn't notice the other half of Las Noches missing?" He put his right hand on his hip.

"You're right," said Orihime. She smiled and asked, "Why are you wearing a dress?" Her eyes admired the feminine features sticking out on Ichigo's face and body.

_Gosh, I wish my legs were as long as his_, thought Orihime with a finger to her chin.

The question brought all the women to stare at him for an answer. Ichigo sighed.

"Not like I had a choice," explained Ichigo. He jerked his head over his shoulder as he continued, "Grimmjow thought I'd be cute with this on, so he knocked me out and dressed me up. The bastard could've at least not blasted my shinigami garbs to bits." His eye twitched at the last known information; he choked it out of Grimmjow a few minutes after they woke up.

"You look so cute, though," squealed Orihime. "Doesn't he?" She looked around at the other girls, who nodded and voiced their opinions.

Ichigo did his best to ignore comments on his long legs, slender waist, and delicate features. The comments just made him want to rip off the clothes and parade around naked.

"Ichigo!" called Grimmjow.

_Not now_, thought Ichigo. The orange haired shinigami growled and whipped his head around to snarl, "What?"

"Can I have my sword back?" the other asked. Grimmjow frowned when Ichigo denied him his request. "Come on, I'll be a good boy. I promise." He inched his way closer to Ichigo. "Pleeeeeaaaase," he begged.

Ichigo ignored Grimmjow in favor of listening to Nel change the subject to "Twilight." He'd rather talk about Edward Cullen than listen to Grimmjow's whining or the women's comments.

Grimmjow wrapped his arms around Ichigo's waist and settled his chin on the other's exposed shoulder. "Please," he whispered.

"Awww," said the girls in unison when they saw Grimmjow hugging Ichigo. They giggled when Ichigo puckered his lips to pout. Then, they continued their original conversation when Ichigo's eye twitched.

When Ichigo ignored him, Grimmjow decided to settle for desperate measures. He placed a small kiss on Ichigo's neck and whispered another plea. He received silence.

Although Ichigo ignored him, Grimmjow did get a kick out of seeing the kissed skin turn pink. He grinned and placed another gentle kiss. The skin got red.

_Let's see if my Ichigo can handle ignoring this_, he thought as one hand rubbed up and down Ichigo's side. He felt the other's body heat increase at the touch, and he witnessed the other's body shudder.

_God damnit, Grimmjow, what are you doing? _Ichigo mentally growled. He was glad the girls were extremely focused on Nel's gossip of "Twilight" and the cast. His eyes widened when a hand slipped under the back of his dress and cuffed his left butt cheek.

"Grimmjow," hissed Ichigo. "Stop that." He used a gloved hand to fend off Grimmjow's hand.

"I don't wanna," whispered Grimmjow in a husky voice. He let his hand trail farther past the other's cheeks when Ichigo's hand disappeared. His hand grasped Ichigo's package and massaged both the penis and the scrotum.

Ichigo felt the intruding hand and immediately grabbed Grimmjow's wrist. He turned his head to eye the other with scorn. "Get your hand away from there," he hissed.

"You like it," said Grimmjow with smirk and moved the thong aside to get better access. He continued to move his fingers around Ichigo's little friend. He could feel his lover becoming harder from the touch, so he continued his torture by placing more kisses along Ichigo's neck. He felt himself getting hotter, too, especially when the grip on his wrist loosened and the other's legs opened more.

Ichigo's face flushed red. The touches were becoming more vigorous and more fast paced. He was gently rocking his hips along with Grimmjow's hand. _No, no, no, no, no_, he thought in panic. _Oh, but it feels so good..._

He wouldn't deny that the touches were fantastic; he was basically feeling for more. The other's hand was slicking up from his precome, making the minstrations more enjoyable. Ichigo almost moaned when he felt Grimmjow stick a nail in the slit of the tip and trail the nail along his penis. His hand pressed at Grimmjow's, indicating Ichigo's need. He didn't know how he was holding up with Grimmjow touching him so intimately, nor did he know how Grimmjow could touch him so professionally from the back. He was glad he could hold back the moans he wanted to make.

The orange haired shinigami's eyes were lidded, and his breaths were shorter. He bit his lip when he felt Grimmjow grinding gently against him with a large erection. The undercover actions were both turning him on and scaring him. Ichigo didn't want to get caught, so he had to hide himself. He leaned on Grimmjow more to hide their touching behind the puffy dress. His head was rested against Grimmjow's chest.

He felt like his chest was going to burst from the pace of his heart. All Ichigo could do was grip Pantera and Grimmjow's wrist to stop himself from letting out labored breaths. His eyes clenched tight when Grimmjow's fingers trailed from his penis to his sack. Then, the fingers teased the sensitive nerves around Ichigo's entrance. A finger probed at the little hole, viciously teasing Ichigo. The finger tugged at the edge of the entrance and slipped forward to sample Ichigo's insides.

"Ichigo, are you okay?" asked Rukia. She noticed that the other was a little dazed. She blushed when she saw Grimmjow laying kisses on the other's neck.

Ichigo panicked, and he quickly leaned away from Grimmjow. He sent a fist backwards into Grimmjow's face, making the blue haired Espada retreat with both hands to hold his face. "I'm fine," replied Ichigo with a nervous smile.

_Go away, mini me_, he scolded to his private parts. He was fully hard, which was bad, especially when he was near his female friends.

"Babe, that hurt," groaned Grimmjow from behind his nursing hands.

The orange haired shinigami turned and tossed Pantera at the other. "Now shut up," he commanded. Ichigo turned back to the girls, who were looking at him with questioning eyes. "Um," started Ichigo, "so did Edward really love Bella?" He crossed his arms in front of his little friend and crossed his legs to appear more relaxed. Ichigo was really doing his best to hold down his erection; thus, the girls wouldn't notice. He inwardly cheered when the women turned back to the original subject.

"Madly-" started Nel. She gasped when a hand took back Santa Teresa from her loose hold. She looked back and glared at Nnoitra; she knew he'd do something. "Nnoitra, don't you dare do anything malicious with that weapon."

"Or what?" snickered Nnoitra as he twirled Santa Teresa with his fingers. He skipped backwards with a large grin on his face.

Nel put her hands on her hips and answered, "I will kick your butt, then I won't give you anymore kisses." Her eyes burned into him.

Just as Nnoitra was going to reply with a smart comeback, he fell to his knees along with the others. He looked up and growled when Nel was just on one knee. _That's not fair_, he thought. His eye widened when Nel fell onto her stomach gasping for air.

"Nel!" called Nnoitra. He forced himself up and ignored the heavy pull on his body. His muscles ached as he moved toward Nel. The tissue in his muscles felt like they were being slammed with thick needles. With a roar, he pushed himself to run toward Nel and settle next to her. He slumped next to the girl and forced Nel onto her back.

When he saw that Nel was going unconscious, Nnoitra knew that the barrier was going to break. _Shit! Don't ya give up! _he mentally growled.

Nnoitra tapped Nel's face, receiving fluttered eyelids. "Don't knock out, Nel!" he yelled in the other's face. His heart was beating quicker than usual, and his gut was twisting painfully.

"Nnoi..." gasped Nel. Her lungs were burning, and her muscles were being pulled. The weight of the new pressure was forcing her down. Her vision was flickering.

"I can't..." croaked Nel. Tears started to pour from her eyes.

_Fuck! _panicked Nnoitra. He sat on his calves and pulled Nel toward him. He rested her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady.

Nnoitra wanted to scream out in anger at the asshole causing Nel pain. He didn't like seeing the green haired woman sad, mad, or in pain. Those pesky feelings interrupted the time Nel could be using to smile. Nnoitra liked Nel's smiles; they were natural and infectiously brightening.

Nel's head was dropping in a limp manner, so Nnoitra quickly supported her head with his free hand. He contemplated her condition, and so far, Nnoitra wasn't happy. Granted that the pressure was pushing him down and hurting his muscles, he had to stay strong for Nel. "Come on, Nel," he said as he tapped her face again.

Suddenly, the pressure stopped. Rukia helped Orihime to her feet, while Grimmjow supported Ichigo.

Nnoitra looked at Nel and grinned when the woman inhaled a deep breath. "Nel?"

The green haired woman looked up at Nnoitra and smiled. "Hey," she croaked. She turned her head and coughed against a small fist. Tears stopped running, but the trails clung to her cheeks.

"Shit, I thought you were gonna die," said Nnoitra as he held Nel tightly. Without really thinking, Nnoitra placed a kiss on Nel's forehead. He realized what he did when Nel looked at him with a flushed face.

At the moment, Nel's strength returned, and she tackled Nnoitra with all her might. She was squeezing the other and sobbing happy words. She showered the other's face with kisses.

As Nel was sobbing to Nnoitra, Rukia was tending to Orihime, who was a little dizzy. "You okay, Orihime?" asked Rukia. She leaned side to side in case she had to catch the strawberry haired woman.

"Oh, Rukia," said Orihime waving off the other's worry, "I'm fine." She rubbed at her head and smiled. She looked down at the shinigami and asked, "Are you okay?"

Rukia nodded her head.

"Good," replied Orihime. She quickly scooped up the other into a giant hug. "I'm glad you're okay, Rukia. I don't like it when you're hurt.

Once again, Rukia found her face in Orihime's bosom. Both breasts rested against Rukia's cheeks, making Rukia's face heat up. Rukia was able to hear Orihime's heart beat from her position; the other's heart was beating extremely fast.

Rukia reached up as far as possible with her hand and patted Orihime's back. She hoped that was the signal for stop.

Orihime felt the soft tap on her back, so she let go of Rukia. "I love you, Rukia," said Orihime. She gave the other a kiss on the nose.

Rukia could only stand there and blush a furious red. She was about to respond when a voice thundered out to them.

"Are you all the spirits taking part in Cupid's challenge?" boomed the voice.

All looked to the cracked walls and gaped. A tall man with golden skin stood at the very edge of the broken wall. His muscles rippled thickly, and his black hair flowed out in soft waves. Blue eyes scrutinized the spirits.

_What an odd bunch_, Hercules thought. He crossed his large arms and continued to scrutinize the others. He frowned after waiting for a few minutes to hear a response.

Ichigo was the first to break the awkward silence. "Who are you, and why are you naked?" he asked.

"Fair maiden," started Hercules.

Ichigo hit his forehead and inwardly complained, _Fuckin' clothes._

"My name is Hercules," said he, "and my only clothing, the Nemean lion hide, was ripped from me by Cupid." He observed the one who asked the question and concluded that the maiden was absolutely beautiful.

The women were blushing at Hercules's nude state, but the men were trying not stare at Hercules below the waist.

"He's...he's...uhhhh," Orihime babbled as she pointed at Hercules in horror. Her eyes could not comprehend the warrior's size. She fainted. Her body hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Orihime!" gasped Ichigo and Rukia.

Rukia knelt by Orihime and looked to Hercules. Her face turned super red, for she was at eye level with what she thought as, _the big one_. Her eyes were staring at Hercules's large manhood, which was bedded in black curls.

"Rukia?" asked Ichigo as he stepped closer to her. He could see that the other shinigami was extremely red in the face.

Rukia stood and looked at Ichigo. She pointed at Hercules and said, "I think Orihime just lost her virginity by looking at this man's third arm." She turned away and knelt by Orihime again.

_Poor Orihime. Her mind has been scarred for life_, thought Rukia as she felt the strawberry haired woman's forehead.

Nel looked to the other's "third arm." She tilted her head and commented, "That doesn't look like an arm."

Nnoitra looked from Hercules to Nel with a shocked look. He could not believe what he just heard from Nel. He asked, "Were ya lookin' at his dick?" He narrowed his eyes a the green haired woman.

"What?!" came Nel's response. "I-"

"Ya were, weren't ya?" accused Nnoitra. He held Nel closely to himself and growled, "That's it, Nel. Ya can't look at other men's dicks. In fact, you can't look at other men." He quickly sealed Nel's eyes with his large hand.

Nel giggled and asked, "Are you jealous?"

"I'm not jealous of that guy," snarled Nnoitra. _The nerve. I would never be jealous of another guy. I just don't like Nel sizing up the bastard._

Ichigo was looking at Hercules's size, too. To sum up his thoughts, Ichigo thought the other was Goliath huge. Ichigo's mind was making flips trying to comprehend the possibility of being as big as Hercules. His eyesight instantly became dark.

"What the?" started Ichigo. He brought his hands up to his eyes and felt another pair of hands.

"I saw ya eyeing his junk, too, Ichigo," came Grimmjow's growl. He didn't appreciate his Ichigo even looking at Hercules in awe. The sight of seeing Ichigo check out the Greek warrior was just annoying.

Ichigo crossed his arms and countered, "I was not 'eyeing his junk,' Grimmjow. His junk was eyeing me."

"How can a man's junk eye another man?" Grimmjow smartly replied. "A man's dick doesn't have any eyes."

"That's not what I meant, smart ass," replied Ichigo as he tore Grimmjow's hand from his eyes. He turned and continued his argument with Grimmjow, who used his smart aleck responses to get around.

Hercules raised a brow. _Cupid cannot be serious_, he mentally reasoned. At the moment he opened his mouth, the collar on his neck tightened. He fell to one knee and pulled at the collar. He fell to his forearms trying to fight the lack of air.

The pain in his lungs was unbearable, and the annoying gibberish of the spirits was just pushing the anger. Hercules was breathing deeply through his teeth; his skin was covered in sweat. His back rose and fell as he took in deep breaths. The collar had loosened but not from his strenuous attempts.

Hercules rose to his feet. Blue eyes were narrowed dangerously, and nostrils were flared. Muscles were twitching for action. He knew that if he didn't want to suffer more than he deserved, he had to fight. Cupid didn't care if he killed any of the spirits. The deal was to fight, so that's what he would do. Thus, he would go mad.

"Enough!" snarled Hercules. His outcry caught everyone's attention. "I am not here to laugh or argue. I am here to fight the competitors in Cupid's challenge. Come forth and face me."

Nnoitra was the first to move. He stood up and took hold of Santa Teresa. Nnoitra looked back at Nel and told her to stay in her spot. He hoisted his weapon over his shoulder and said, "Alright, big guy. You're on." He took a step forward and flashed near Hercules. With a powerful swing, Nnoitra sent Hercules into the outskirts of the palace.

"He's not so tough. I think Cupid's mockin' us," said Nnoitra. He took a step forward and flashed toward the outside of the palace, where he searched for Hercules in the air. Nnoitra looked back when Grimmjow and Ichigo flashed with him.

"Over here," came the deep voice.

Nnoitra turned his head and was met with a powerful punch to the chest. "Guh!" he gasped as the air left his lungs. The pain his chest flowered and burned his ribs. His body continued to fall.

Ichigo stared in shock. _Hercules...He can use flash step, too? _

The orange haired shinigami was right. Hercules appeared by Nnoitra too quickly. Hercules cracked his knuckles and chuckled. "That felt good," he sighed. He turned his gaze toward Grimmjow, who was already sneering in his direction. Wild blues met thundering blues.

"Come on," challenged Grimmjow. He phased into his release form and released a loud roar.

Ichigo covered his ears to block out the loud sound, but his eyes stayed on Hercules, who stood in the air unphased by the sound.

"Come on, bitch!" challenged Grimmjow. He hopped up and dove downward at Hercules. "Comin' at ya!" A maniacal grin was in place.

"Fool," said Hercules. He threw a quick uppercut that landed under Grimmjow's chin. He mirrored Grimmjow's smile when his knuckles came in contact with bone.

"Uh!" spat Grimmjow as he flew backward. Blood trailed after him in droplets.

"Grimmjow!" called Ichigo. Brown eyes watched as the sexta dropped and created a huge plume of sand. He turned his attention toward Hercules, who was rotating his shoulders and cracking his neck. His heart stopped when Hercules looked at him.

Hercules didn't see the need to waste his energy on choking a woman to death. He sighed in boredom and released a huge amount of spiritual pressure. It was just business, right?

Ichigo gasped. The pressure was too heavy. His eyes squinted shut, and his heartbeat quickened. He had to fight back, so Ichigo roared and released his own spiritual pressure. After releasing pressure, Ichigo felt like he could breath again. He was still hunched over, though, and panting.

"You're a strong woman," commented Hercules, "but I'm stronger." He smiled as he released another load of pressure. He chuckled as the maiden staggered to stand in the air. He narrowed his eyes and focused on choking the woman with his pressure, but his focus didn't last for long.

"Forget about me?!" came Nnoitra's voice. He appeared quickly and struck Hercules with all of his might. He grinned when the man went flying through the air.

"You're in your release form," stated Ichigo as he looked at Nnoitra's multiple arms.

Nnoitra looked at Ichigo and replied, "No shit. This bastard's a little stronger than I thought." He appeared by Ichigo and helped him up. "Get your shit together, shinigami. If I hadn't have come when I did, that guy would have suffocated ya." He turned and flashed away.

Ichigo inwardly cursed; Nnoitra was right. He took hold of Zangetsu's hilt and pulled it free. He set the blade in front of himself and yelled, "Bankai!" The dark spiritual pressure surrounded him and changed his appearance. Ichigo didn't bother to look down because he already knew he was still wearing a dress.

_Hercules was the greatest Greek hero that ever lived_, thought Ichigo. _I can't remember how he died. Shit! I'll just have to tell the others to avoid Hercules's punches. _Ichigo looked up from his thoughts when he heard an outcry of pain. His eyes widened at the sight of Nnoitra being thrown with three arms torn off.

Ichigo gulped and looked for Grimmjow. He didn't want the Espada to get hurt. His heart jumped when he saw Grimmjow readying to give a volley of kicks. "No," he muttered. Ichigo quickly flashed over, but he was too late. Time seemed to slow down as Ichigo witnessed Grimmjow get punched in the ribcage and kneed in the gut. His eyes burned as Grimmjow fell to the ground.

Ichigo wiped at his face and felt a tear soak the forefinger of the glove. _Shit! I can't be weak. Hercules has to be stopped. _He looked to the Greek warrior and observed that Hercules had no scratches or bruises.

Ignoring the warning in his gut, Ichigo yelled out, "You bastard!" His chest flooded with fear at the moment Hercules looked back with a narrowed gaze. His tear filled eyes could see that Hercules was enjoying the fight, for the warrior licked the blood of his fist.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, fair maiden," said Hercules through blood covered lips. He smiled again and flashed out of sight.

The white haired shinigami looked around, hoping that Hercules would not be behind him. He backed up a step and froze. His back met with a solid surface, and Ichigo knew that there were no pillars near him. Ichigo gulped and quickly turned with Zangetsu out to strike.

Hercules's hand struck out and took hold of Ichigo's striking wrist. He pulled Ichigo closer to himself and enjoyed the struggles the other put up. Knowing that the woman was weaker than him made Hercules shiver in delight. He buried his golden nose in Ichigo's hair and inhaled the other's feminine aroma.

Ichigo's head was pulled back, so his eyes stared up at his attacker's. He noticed something different. He recalled Hercules having blue eyes, but the eyes were black. No pupil or color, just black. At that moment, Ichigo realized that Hercules was stronger and much more dangerous than the other warrior, Achilles.

"Let go," pleaded Ichigo. He could feel the grip on his hair growing stronger by the second. His thrashing was cut short by a chaste kiss. Ichigo was shocked at the action. He knew Hercules was sent to fight them, but he didn't know Hercules was a pervert, too.

Hercules licked his lips and said, "Strawberries are one of the most prized fruit of Olympus, fair maiden. You yourself must be a prized woman for you natural, godly taste."

_That was a little corny_, thought Ichigo. "Pervert!" he yelled. He tried to push away, but the grip on his hair and the grip on his wrist prevented him from moving anywhere.

"Fair maiden," said Hercules in a gentle voice; he ignored the insult. "You have impressed me with your beauty and feisty nature. The Amazons haven't even done that when I met them years ago. Your lover is gone now, so I ask that you gift to me your chastity and love."

_At least his first thoughts include me being a virgin_, thought Ichigo. He really had to make the comparison, for Ichigo still disliked Achilles assuming he wasn't chaste.

"Answer me, fair maiden," said Hercules. "I cannot stand to live without one with a face more beautiful than Aphrodite."

_Let's see... Pinned to a naked guy who wants to take me as a lover_, Ichigo thought sarcastically and distastefully._ This is bullshit. What is it with men and thinking with their dicks first? And why am I always the target for love?! I'm not the only feminine looking person here!_

"I can't accept that," answered Ichigo. He yelped when his hair was pulled back to expose his neck.

"Why not?" growled Hercules. His cheek rubbed against the other's slender slender neck, and he increased the pressure. A sadistic smile appeared on the warrior's lips when he heard pained whimpers.

"Because," gasped Ichigo. He shut his eyes and pushed against the other man. "My chastity and love belong to someone else."

"I hope that's me," came another voice.

Ichigo's eyes snapped open in surprise and relief. "Grimmjow!" he called out.

"Right here, babe," said Grimmjow. He appeared by Hercules and slashed at the warrior's face with his claws. He grinned when his claws dug into flesh. Then, he kicked Hercules in the face, making the other release Ichigo to recover. He grabbed Ichigo and flashed away to roar at Hercules like an enraged wild cat.

Hercules looked up with his bloody cheek. His eyes were fully black, and a mass of sand started to swirl about him. He moved an arm, and the sand moved with him. He clawed his hand and scooped upward. Hercules snarled when Grimmjow avoided the pillar of sand he created.

"Over here!" yelled another voice.

Hercules looked up right at the moment he was tackled by Nnoitra, who had grown his arms back.

"Did ya miss me?" asked Nnoitra. He poked out his tongue and said, "Cero."

Grimmjow watched as a golden cero lit up the view in front of him and Ichigo. He looked down at his orange haired lover and asked, "Ya okay?" He was greeted with a kiss and a hug. Blue eyes blinked in surprise, but the surprise melted away when he hugged Ichigo back. He brought his lips to Ichigo's ear and asked, "Ya love me, babe?"

Before Ichigo could answer, he and Grimmjow were trying to support each other as a wave of spiritual pressure crashed down on them.

Grimmjow covered Ichigo as he looked down and gasped. He saw Hercules toss Nnoitra aside like a lifeless bag of flesh. _The cero... It didn't do shit! _he thought. His eyes peered closer to see Hercules's next move, but he his vision was cut off by a fist to his right cheek.

Ichigo jerked when his lover's body was ripped from him. "Grimmjow!" hollered Ichigo. He made an attempt to go after the other, but his armed wrist was gripped tightly. He yelped from the sudden shock of pain. Brown eyes narrowed. Ichigo looked back and almost squealed in fear.

Hercules was no longer naked. His body was adorned in armor that gleamed in white gold. He also wore a helmet that was in the shape of a lion's head. His eyes were still black, but his teeth were sharp with protruding fangs.

Ichigo pursed his lips and dragged his free hand across his face. The mask didn't stir the other, but Ichigo didn't care. He cared that the other was going to get an ass beating. Ichigo gripped Zangetsu harder and pressed his forefinger and middle finger to Hercules's chest. Anger fueled the cero he created in his hand.

"Cero," said Ichigo in his watery voice.

A blast of red blinded Ichigo's vision as it blasted off. He felt Hercules's body separate from his own. The feeling was great. The cero didn't seem to stop, though. It kept going. He couldn't tell if he was hitting Hercules anymore, for he could only see rising sand and spreading red. The cero was taking his energy. He could feel it. His body was growing weak.

"Stop!" he yelled. He grit his teeth when he heard just his regular voice. The mask was broken. He inhaled a huge breath after the cero stopped. Sweat graced his brow, and fatigue plagued his muscles. Ichigo felt the energy gap in his body. He almost felt cold...almost dead.

His vision went black, and all he could feel was his body falling. His vision flicker again, and he saw Hercules as huge as a building. When he blinked, he saw the massive warrior being restrained by a couple powerful beings. He blacked out. When he forced himself conscious, he saw an extremely tall, bearded man with lightning wrapping around him in spiked strands. Then, the dark took him again.

_I hope you're alright...Grimmjow._

At the time Ichigo blacked out, Ares arrived in Hueco Mundo with another god. He looked to his companion and asked, "Are you ready to face him?"

The other stepped forward and clenched his fists. "I shall take him down, then I shall tear Cupid's wings off and barricade him to his chambers for a thousand years," said he.

Ares nodded his head. "It's an honor to accompany you like this, father," said Ares as he pulled out his red blade. He wanted to take on Hercules himself, but he knew that the warrior would surpass his strength. Thus, he would need help from a higher god to keep the balance. A shame of a truth to confess, but Ares confessed anyway. The realms were important for all, so he had to tell Zeus. He thought his father would scold him, but the thought was false.

Zeus actually praised Ares for coming to him. The god of the sky told him that he was right for telling the truth. Even his mother, Hera, praised his loyalty to the balance of the realms. The confession just made Ares proud. Ares was glad his father demanded they take action together.

Lightning thundered in Zeus's fist, creating a pure white spear with a blade that was jagged. "Aye," confirmed Zeus. "I am proud that you, my son, have come to me about your brother. Together, we shall confine him to his cell once more." Lightning engulfed Zeus's form, making him disappear from sight.

_I hope I'm not too late_, thought Ares. _Cupid... Zeus have mercy on your soul. _He crouched and bounded off toward the palace, where he was sure Hercules was wreaking havoc.

Zeus was the first to arrive in a ray of lightning. His pure white eyes gazed past the landscape to his son, Hercules. His son had pounded on the ground, sending a wall of powerful winds in all directions. His white garbs ruffled in the wind.

"Hercules!" boomed Zeus.

Hercules turned to see his father and Ares, who came just in time, standing side by side. He laughed as his form grew bigger. "Father," came the monstrous growl.

Zeus's plain expression didn't change. "Hercules, you've gone insane with power," bellowed the god of the sky. "Come over here and take your punishment."

The warrior tilted his head and replied, "No, father! I have finally embraced what is mine, and I do not intend to give it up! You nor Ares will stop me from taking this realm as my own." Hercules reached up with his palm and released a ray of black power into the makeshift sky. He laughed as the sky started to crack.

Ares dashed forward with sword in hand. He sliced in front of himself, sending a wall of flame in Hercules's direction. Ares frowned when the flame went out near Hercules's skin. He pursed his lips and continued his way toward the other. When he reached Hercules, Ares sliced at the back of the other's knee.

Hercules howled in pain and bent down to one knee. He still kept his arm up to flood the sky with his power.

Ares made another attempt of an attack, but his body came in contact with Hercules's large hand. "Gahh!" he yelped after contact. His body created a crater in the ground.

Zeus took this as his time. He stepped forward and flashed near Hercules. Not caring about the possible objects nearby, Zeus charged his spear with lightning, which lashed out in every direction. The weapon shook in his hand, so he plunged it into Hercules's back. Zeus watched as his son bellowed out into the sky in pain.

Hercules's body fell on the ground with a thunderous thud that made a cloud of sand spread about.

Ares got up from his crater and held onto his gut as he walked to his father. "Marvelous as always, father" commented he. He admired the white spear holding down Hercules's body like a pig during a hunt.

Zeus looked at Ares and commanded, "Take him to his cell. I have business to conduct with Cupid."

The god of war bowed his head and made his way over to his brother. He waved his hand over the body and turned up his palm. With his other hand, he tore a hole to the Underworld and stepped inside.

The god of the sky walked to his spear and took it from the ground. The weapon disappeared in his grasp. Zeus turned toward the palace and put up his hand. Just as he was about to conduct magic, he heard a groan. He looked down and saw a orange haired spirit blink at him. When the spirit was out again, Zeus waved his hand.

Within seconds, the broken walls and dashed pillars were fixed, and the spirits were piled in Grimmjow's room.

**Author's note:**

**Well, I hope you all liked that chapter. I did my best to make it interesting and exciting to read.**

**What do ya think?**


	7. Karma and Love

**Early Author's note: **

**I'll just say that Cupid gets his just desserts. Have a fun time with this one. **

**Chapter Seven: Karma and Love**

White golden doors burst open with lightning licking at the handles and panes. Zeus entered the white chambers of Cupid with thunder dying down from his eyes. He looked about the room, but Cupid was not there. Zeus closed his eyes and focused on finding Cupid. Thunder and lightning crackled in the sky behind him from the open doors.

White eyes snapped open, and golden sandaled feet made their way toward the hallway on the left of the room. Zeus made no attempt to be quiet. He had told Hermes to send a scroll of Cupid's wrongs and punishments to Cupid. Thus, his feet made the floor crackle from the pressure and lightning burns.

He made his way down the hallway, not caring to spare the white walls and the porcelain floors. Zeus made sure that his wrath was evident in Cupid's home, so all would see what treachery against the balance of the realms can cause. He came upon the end of the hall. White eyes went from the lace curtains to the being occupying the balcony outside gold trimmed panes.

Cupid was leaning against the white railing when heard Zeus thunder into his home. He waited for the god of the sky to find him; he knew the other would find him. He sighed, knowing Zeus was already behind him.

He turned his head and eyed Zeus's ominous form. His eye hand to wander up, for Zeus was ten feet tall compared to him. "How gracious of you to accompany me on this fine evening, Zeus," said Cupid in a monotone manner.

Zeus ignored the lack of respect from the other and stated, "Hermes has sent you the scroll." His white beard fluttered in the blowing wind.

Cupid clicked his tongue and nodded. He brought up his right arm to show the golden scroll in his hand. His golden hair billowed about wildly in the wind.

The god of the sky nodded. "Show to me your wings, Cupid," commanded Zeus.

"As you request," said Cupid with bitterness. He dropped the scroll over the balcony and used both hands to grasp the railing firmly. With a deep breath, the god of love released his eagle wings. The white feathery appendages flapped in a relaxed manner.

Zeus only gripped each wing in each hand at the bone and tore the wings from Cupid's back. The bone snapped easily under his power, creating a loud crack as lightning and thunder appeared together in the sky.

Cupid cried out from his wings being torn at the bone. When he felt his wings were gone, he slumped against the railing in an effort to support himself as well as minimize the pain. His back stung with vigour, burning his every sense of dignity. Golden locks dripped over the white railing, for Cupid had fallen to his knees and leaned his forehead against the back of his palms.

Hearing his own bones crack and snap wasn't pleasing. The sound echoed in his ears and vibrated throughout his body, making the god of love bite his lip. His warm skin tingled from the extremely hot golden blood oozing from the torn skin and ripped muscles.

Zeus looked upon Cupid's form with apathy as he held each wing in both hands. White eyes gazed upon the prominent, splintered bone poking from the golden flesh. Being satisfied with the pain inflicted upon the other, Zeus announced, "Now that you are without your wings, you are to be confined to your chambers for a thousand years. Others may visit you, but I doubt any would. As of now, a barrier blocks all possible escape routes within your home.

"Cupid, let this be a lesson to you, for you and other gods will not be allowed to interfere with the fates of the spirits. Yes, I have heard about your challenge to those spirits, and I am greatly disappointed in your choices to make their lives hell.

"Be thankful that I decided not maim you further than this." Zeus turned his back upon Cupid. He looked over his shoulder and added, "Your wings will be confined in my chambers. When you have been released from your thousand year prison, you will do my bidding for another thousand years. After that, I'll think about giving you your wings."

Zeus walked through the hallway and out the front doors of Cupid's home. When he stepped from the last step, Zeus looked at his son, who arrived upon his step out the doors. "Ares, do not spare pity for the wretch inside these walls. He shall suffer his punishment well," said Zeus. Then, a wave of lightning engulfed the god of the sky and disappeared.

Ares only nodded, then his eyes went to the doors. He sighed and walked up the step; he entered the home and immediately spotted Cupid leaning against the wall. Ares frowned sadly when Cupid eyed him with anger. His red eyes wandered over the other's body; thus, he caught the dribble of blood sliding down the other's legs and pooling at the floor by burnt marks.

"Have you come to gloat?" snarled Cupid. His green eyes were focused on Ares's entire being. "If you have, then leave! I do not want to hear of your merriment." He pushed himself off of the wall and stumbled to stand straight.

"I have not come to gloat," replied Ares in a calm tone. He did not want to lose himself in an argument. His anger wouldn't match his father's, but he was more about physical pain.

"Then what do you want?!" snarled Cupid. His chest rose and fell with angry breaths. His nostrils were flared, and his eyes were narrowed. When Ares didn't answer, Cupid growled and turned toward his personal chambers. He painfully held his stature as high as possible; looking pitiful in front of Ares wouldn't be pleasant.

He threw the lace curtains aside and made his way to his pillows. Cupid dropped on top of the first mound and laid there. His breaths were deep and hurtful, for every breath caused the torn flesh on his back to throb even more. He rested his heated face on a cool pillow and closed his eyes. Just as he was going to nap away the pain, Cupid heard light footsteps making their way toward him.

"What do you want, Ares?" he repeated. "As you can see, I am trying to go about my punishment in peace. Would you be so kind as to leave me alone?" He didn't bother to open his eyes. He didn't hear a reply, so he just sighed and tried to nap again. His eyes shot open when he felt a searing burn on his back.

Cupid threw back his head and howled out in pain. He clawed at the pillows beneath him, and his muscles were tensed throughout his body. When the burning stopped, Cupid slumped against his pillows, panting. He opened his eyes and lazily looked back. Cupid only stared at Ares, who held a pink bottle in his hand.

The pink bottle glowed with its golden cap dangling. Froth was foaming at the mouth of the bottle with bits of smoke rising out in small wisps.

Cupid knew where Ares got the bottle: his mother, Aphrodite. "I'm surprised you came here in one piece, Ares," said Cupid in a lazy tone. "I'd thought my mother would have laid you in bed and kept you there all day."

Ares ignored the smart remark and asked, "Feel better?" When Cupid nodded lazily, Ares nodded and said, "Good." He capped the bottle and set it down on a nearby pedestal with Cupid's head.

"Why have you healed me?" asked Cupid. "I've scorned you, I loathed you, and I sneered at your appearance. What gave you the courage to even approach me?" He got to his knees and turned himself to sit on his bottom. He ignored the heated squish from his blood below him. Cupid felt his back and felt relief at feeling nothing by healed skin.

Ares looked down at Cupid and replied, "Because I pity you, and I admire you." He knelt on both knees and added, "And, you have the most interesting ferocity." Ares removed his helmet, letting his black locks flow freely. He set the helmet aside, then he removed his gloves. Lastly, he removed all of his armour and set it all aside. Ares wore nothing but a cloth that clung loosely to his hips. He crawled closer to Cupid, who backed away farther up his mound of pillows.

"What do you think you're doing?" hissed Cupid. Green eyes widened when rough hands grabbed his thighs and spread them apart. "No!" he yelped. Cupid slapped away the hands and turned to flee farther up his pillows, but he was cut short by a hand on his ankle. He yelped as he was pulled onto Ares's lap.

Cupid struggled to get free, but he was stopped by a hand on his crotch. He looked down and held his breath at the sight of Ares's hand snaking under his toga. "Release me!" he demanded. Cupid made to elbow the god of war in the face, but he arm was blocked and brought behind his back.

Ares held onto Cupid's captive arm as tightly as possible. He didn't think Cupid would still have that strength. He then pushed himself up onto his toes and planted Cupid on the pillows.

Cupid still struggled to get free. His captive arm was being held tightly, which only caused him pain if he tried to pull it free. He used his free arm to support himself from being suffocated by his own pillows. He hugged the pillow to his chest to relieve the discomfort. Cupid looked back and snarled, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I admire you," Ares whispered after he bent over Cupid's form. "I admire you so much that I desire to make love to you." He placed a gentle kiss on Cupid's neck.

The god of love blushed and retorted, "You cannot make love to me, Ares. I am in love with Psyche, and you know she is my _wife_." He made sure to emphasize the last word. His heart was beating rapidly, and his stomach turned with a nervous motion.

"I know," waved off Ares. He pulled up the skirt of Cupid's toga and ripped the guarding underwear. He saw Cupid turn to him to protest, but Ares would not have that. He immediately sealed the other's mouth with a deep kiss. As he occupied the other with his tongue, Ares soaked his fingers in Cupid's warm blood and trailed it toward Cupid's entrance.

Cupid felt the offending fingers going toward his hole, and he didn't like it one bit. He tried to turn his head, but Ares bit his lips to keep him there. He yelped into the forceful kiss when two fingers plunged into him. His body was reacting strangely, too. His skin was heating up, and he was becoming erect.

_This cannot be! Damn you, Ares! Damn you to the deepest pits of the Underworld! _Cupid mentally cried. He moaned into the kiss when the fingers brushed against his sensitive gland. He started to pant breathlessly as his eyes lidded. His energy was no longer focused on fleeing, for he was focused on trying to hide his enjoyment from feeling his gland being hit repeatedly. Despite the odd feeling of the fingers digging and spreading inside of him, the pleasure that came along with it was fantastic. After a few more hits, Cupid started to push back onto the fingers. His mind was too hazy to notice that he was literally screwing himself on Ares's fingers.

Cupid moaned loudly after breaking the kiss, for Ares pushed at his gland one last time. He felt the fingers slide out of him, so he relaxed, feeling relieved that the intruders weren't there to make him moan out like a harlot.

Ares grinned at the state Cupid was in. He never knew that the other's blood was so encouraging. He had felt the blood warm up his fingers, so he figured that the warmth added to the other's pleasure. Thinking of pleasure, Ares used the excess blood to coat himself thoroughly. He clenched his teeth at the high jump in the temperature in his pelvis. He looked down and chuckled at his erection, which was stand out in an angry manner. He reached a hand down to help himself to the god in front of him.

The god of love felt his cheeks get separated, so he assumed that the worst was to happen. He gripped the pillow and readied himself for the plunge. Just as he assumed: Ares slid into him in one thrust. Cupid clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tightly. He didn't think Ares would be that big, and he didn't think his little hole could stretch that much. His thighs quivered as they supported his weight and touched Ares's hips.

Cupid let out his breath and rested his head on the pillow in front of him. He ignored the assurances of comfort coming from Ares and focused on trying to deal with the pain. Just as he was going to try to pull away, he felt his insides start to heat up. Then, Ares thrust into him, hitting the sensitive gland and making Cupid moan.

Ares bit his lip as he was sucked inside. He enjoyed the fight the other's hole was putting up against him. As he pulled out for another thrust, the muscles would greedily suck him back in. "You're so beautiful, Cupid," commented Ares. "You and your tight ass." He thrust again and moaned at the muscles tightening their grip on him.

After a moan, Cupid scolded, "You greedy bastard! I hope you're happy!" He moaned when Ares thrust into him roughly. Just as he was going to scold again, Ares set a rough pace, making the god of love moan and stutter useless protests.

"Cupid," came a feminine voice.

The god of love looked up with lidded eyes, which went wide at the sight of Psyche. "Psyche!" he exclaimed. He held back a moan when Ares thrust into him again. He looked back and scolded, "Stop, you bastard! My wife is here!" He looked back at Psyche, who had an expression Cupid didn't expect.

Psyche stood there in her lace dress. She was blushing, but she was also giggling. A peach soft hand covered her pink lips as she giggled. "Oh, Cupid," she giggled. She looked up behind her husband and smiled as she greeted, "Hello, Ares. I see you're enjoying yourself."

The god of war nodded and replied, "How do you do, fair Psyche?"

"Well," replied the wife. She looked back down and said, "Cupid, darling, I have to go to a meeting with the other goddesses. I shall tell them of this event."

Cupid's face turned red with embarrassment. "Dear wife, surely you wouldn't do that," he begged more than stated.

Psyche brought down her hand and squealed, "Why not? This is just like the stories and human books we read. Oh! Artemis and Athena will be thrilled to know that we have a pair of our own here. I must be off! I must tell them!"

"Dear wife, please, do not tell the other goddesses," begged Cupid.

"I shall hear none of it," declared Psyche. She smoothed her brown hair and added, "I'm off. Enjoy yourself, dear husband, and Ares, try not to break him." She squealed and bounded off to tell the other goddesses.

"Take care," called Ares with a smile and wave of his hand.

Cupid was dumbstruck. He could not believe what just happened. He expected anger and jealousy, but his wife reacted so calmly. _Dear Zeus, save me!_

At the time Zeus was inflicting punishment on Cupid, Hera had descended to the spiritual realm, where she found Orihime and Nel putting Ichigo together. The goddess had to stop and appreciate the beauty the young orange haired spirit had.

She walked toward the pair of women, who gasped at her beauty and presence. Hera put a finger to her lips and shushed them. "Hush," she added in a whisper. "I shall not harm you, nor shall I harm this young man." She gestured to Ichigo.

Orihime asked, "Who are you?" Her eyes were large with admiration. She drooled at Hera's flowing gown that was sparkling white, and she awed at Hera's black curled locks dropping down the goddess's back. She shuddered in excitement at Hera's blinking purple eyes and gentle smile.

"I am Hera," announced she, "the goddess of marriage and fertility." She looked from Orihime to Nel. With a bright smile, Hera asked, "Whom may you be?"

"I'm Orihime," announced the strawberry haired girl. She looked down when Hera smiled at her response. Orihime was excited that the other was there, but she couldn't feel any spiritual pressure from the goddess. She peeked at Nel, who looked puzzled as well.

"I'm Nel," announced the green haired woman. She gazed upon Hera with interest, then she asked, "Why are you here, Hera?"

The goddess giggled and looked to Ichigo. "The challenge has been passed. There is love between this young spirit and another. Zeus sensed it himself," she replied. "Cupid cannot reward this young man, so I have come to bestow a gift in his stead. Zeus asked me to do so before he went to discuss matters with Cupid." She looked back to Nel and added, "Do not tell the others of my presence. I have concealed my power, so that your fellow companions may not interrupt me. Keep my presence a secret, and I shall watch over your marriages most carefully."

Hera nodded once with grace when the girls said they would comply. Purple eyes wandered to Ichigo, and soft hands tenderly touched Ichigo's cheeks. She used one hand to open Ichigo's mouth, while the other hand brought up a white orb that glowed brightly. She guided the orb to Ichigo's mouth with her hand and lowered the orb into Ichigo's throat.

She closed Ichigo's mouth and guided the orb to the young man's abdomen. After the orb was settled in place, Hera removed her hands and looked toward the women. With a smile, Hera said, "The gift shall be watched by me throughout its life."

The girls gaped at Hera, for they knew what she was talking about.

Seeing the disbelief, Hera added, "When the time comes for its arrival, I shall send Artemis to help you. Remember: the gift is to be protected and nourished. Do this, and I shall reward you with a promising gift for each of you." With those last words, Hera faded from sight.

Orihime and Nel looked at eachother, then they squealed. Little did they know that their squealing brought Ichigo back to consciousness. They stopped in midair when Ichigo yelped. They came back to the ground and quivered at Ichigo's rage.

When Ichigo woke up, he didn't expect to find himself in Grimmjow's room and on Grimmjow's bed. He remembered that he saw two superior beings beating down Hercules, who he was glad was gone. He recalled the thundering being and held his breath when he thought, _Was that Zeus himself?_

Ichigo reached a hand up to his head and rubbed at his throbbing forehead. He stopped when his lazy eyes saw a pink. He looked down and yelped at the attire he was wearing.

Without caring about the pink stilettos he saw on his feet, Ichigo got up, ran to the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror. Both hands were rested on either side of the mirror as he gazed at his image. He lashes were curled with black mascara, and his lips were covered in pink lip gloss. He swore he saw a touch of blush on his cheek bones.

Brown eyes wandered to his hair, which was longer than before. The orange locks spilled down his spine in layered falls with braids coming from under and resting on his chest. A gloved hand went to his neck and fingered the pink choker with diamonds, which was counted to six.

Glossed lips pursed when Ichigo looked down. Pink gloves tugged at his uncovered fingers and covered his arms. A pink corset was tightened around his waist with small pink bows placed randomly on the corset. White pearl beads lined the front of the corset just for show. White lace lined the top and bottom of Ichigo's corset.

The corset was only the top of himself. Ichigo gulped as he looked down. Pink undergarments hugged at his manhood and butt. The lower half of his cheeks were showing. Attached to the corset were pink and white striped straps that connected to the white nylons covering his legs. The finishing touch was the pink stilettos with pink bows at the outside of each heel.

_Why does this keep happening to me?! _he mentally complained. Ichigo stomped out of the bathroom and glared as nicely as possible at Orihime and Nel.

As he got closer, the girls shrunk and clung to each other. Ichigo took in a deep breath and asked, "Who did this?" He pointed to himself.

Orihime and Nel looked at each other and looked back at Ichigo.

"Well?" came Ichigo's voice.

Nel cleared her throat and replied, "Orihime and I decided to clean and dress you, Ichigo. We gave you a bath, and then we were gonna put a spare shinigami robe on you. Rukia was nice to provide it, but Grimmjow blew the robes to bits. And he said that we should put that on you. We tried to reason with him about it, but he wanted it that way."

Ichigo's left eye twitched. "That bastard!" he bellowed. "Where's Zangetsu?" He began to click and clack about to find his weapon.

As Ichigo was busy, Nel and Orihime quickly escaped. They ran down the hall and past Aizen, who was busy rocking out to a song on his ipod. He had his eyes closed as he was making pelvis thrusts in the air.

Nel and Orihime had to stop to look at Aizen questioningly. They gaped at the man when he made his down a different hall singing out like Elvis.

"Ya ain't nothin' but a hound dog," sang Aizen from around the hall. "Cryin' all the time...Ya ain't nothin' but a hound dog... Cryin' all the time!"

Nel and Orihime could hear the man grunt from thrusting his hips and singing in a deep voice. The women looked at each other and shrugged. They figured that must have been keeping the shinigami distracted for hours. They continued their run down the hall and burst into Nnoitra's room.

Before Nel and Orihime burst into Nnoitra's room, the trio, Rukia, Nnoitra, and Grimmjow, was having an argument.

"Mine's bigger."

"No. Mine's bigger."

"You two obviously are blind if you can't see that mine is bigger."

"I still say mine is bigger," said Grimmjow as he leaned back on his chair. He grinned at the others' faces. His blue hair was combed in a messy manner, and his clothes were fresh from the human world mall. He had on a black tuxedo with shiny black shoes on his feet. Bandages were wrapped around his torso, and bruises were a dark purple on his chin and chest. Most of the injuries were covered by the tuxedo. All the piercings were in place, too, especially the tongue ring. Pantera was still hanging at his side, just in case. He had taken the time to both dress and heal himself well. After all, he would need the fresh look to help himself.

Rukia glared as Nnoitra stuck out his tongue at the flashy Espada.

"Mine is way bigger than yours," countered Nnoitra as he sat back with his legs wide open. He had bandages wrapped around his abdomen and head. His only eye was slightly bruised, and he had bruises along his neck and chin.

"Pft!" retorted Rukia. "Mine is obviously bigger than both of yours," she said in a calm tone. She stuck up her nose as she took a lick of her ice cream cone, which had four scoops of vanilla ice cream. The black haired shinigami didn't take a beating. She, like the other two women, was still clean and neat.

Grimmjow sat up with his ice cream and said, "If ya keep lickin' it, yours won't be bigger." He leaned on his knees as he held his cone of four scoops. He glared a premature victory glare at Rukia.

"I agree with the pussycat," added Nnoitra. He held his cone of four, too. "Besides, mine is bigger." He held up his cone for Rukia to see. He stuck out his tongue at Rukia when the girl stuck out her tongue.

"I only licked my cone," said the shinigami. "And, mine is still bigger than yours." She thrust her cone out to compare with the others.

"Not likely," replied Grimmjow as he took a lick of his cone. He leaned forward more as he tried to emphasize his size by licking the ice cream in a lewd way.

After blushing and cursing the Espada for his dirty mind, Rukia got to her feet and walked to the tub of ice cream on the coffee table in the middle of the group. "Well, how do you like this?" she asked in a mocking tone. She picked up the ice cream scooper and scooped up a ball of ice cream.

"She's goin' for the big one," said Grimmjow with wide eyes. He sat at the edge of his seat as he watched the ice cream scooper with clear focus.

"She's gonna do it," said Nnoitra as he eyed the ice cream. His eye followed the ice cream, but he looked at Rukia to see if she was joking.

Rukia smirked at the intense attention she was receiving for her bold move: another scoop of ice cream. Without much delay and with plenty of focus, Rukia piled the ball on top of her cone. When the scoop stayed in place, the trio yelled, "Oh!"

Rukia looked at the others with pride as she said, "Heh! Mine is bigger." She paraded near her seat and put a leg on her folding chair. She held up her ice cream and announce, "Seeing that mine is bigger, I declare myself the awesome queen of ice cream in all of Hueco Mundo." She smiled proudly, ignoring rants of displeasure from the Espada.

After Rukia declared her victory, Orihime and Nel burst into the room. They shut the door and leaned against it as they took in deep breaths.

"Orihime," called Rukia. "Are you okay?" She gave a concerned look at the strawberry haired girl. She brought her leg and ice cream down. She put the ice cream back in the jug and ran over to Orihime. She touched the other's shoulder as she looked into the other's eyes.

Orihime took in another breath and stood up straight. She down at Rukia and replied, "I'm fine. Just that Ichigo wasn't very happy." She gave the smaller woman a hug and squealed, "I'm so glad that you care."

"I presume not," muffled Rukia with a raised brow that twitched. She sighed at her position back in between Orihime's breasts.

"What happened, Nel?" asked Nnoitra as he got to his feet. He looked over to the green haired woman, who looked up at him. He tried to walk over, but his thigh protested at his movement. He tried again, but his thigh refused to flex to his will.

"Ichigo got angry with the clothes he had on," she simply replied. "We barely escaped when he went searching for his sword." She quickly ran to Nnoitra to help him sit back down.

Grimmjow got to his feet and stabbed his cone back into the jug of ice cream. He smiled a lecherous smile and said, "Thanks, girls. I'll handle him from here." He walked happily past the group and out the door. He had a shinigami to claim.

Orihime let Rukia go and gave her a kiss on the nose. When the other blushed, Orihime said, "Let's go to my house, Rukia." She saw Rukia hesitate, so her eyes dropped. "Don't you like me?"

Rukia looked up at Orihime and quickly replied, "Yes. I do. I really do. I can't help but feel small in your presence, but you somehow make me feel bigger than I really am." Rukia smiled and got on her toes. She kissed Orihime on the nose and said, "I like you a lot, Orihime. Come on." She held out her arm, which Orihime took with glee.

The pair left out of Nnoitra's room and returned to the living world.

Nnoitra groaned in pain as he was sat back down. He absolutely furious that he was extremely injured from the fight with Hercules. Nnoitra threw his ice cream at the jug, which tipped over from impact. He crossed his arms and grumbled.

"Nnoitra," called Nel.

The Espada looked up at Nel, who was smiling at him. "What?" he asked.

"I love you," replied Nel. She sat next to Nnoitra and leaned against him gently.

"Yeah, well," started Nnoitra, "uh! I love ya, too, Nel." His heart fluttered at the words he spoke, and his stomach churned in an excited manner. His lone eye looked at Nel, then he jumped.

"You do?!" squealed Nel as she jumped from her spot and hopped up and down. "How long have you been hiding your feelings?" asked Nel as she stopped jumping and looked at Nnoitra. Her hands were on her hips.

"Um...Thirty seconds," replied Nnoitra. He yelped in pain when Nel hopped onto his lap. His complaints were cut short by Nel's kisses. She wasn't light, and his wounds were screaming at him. "Nel," he grunted. He relaxed when Nel sat on him properly and kissed him gently.

"Sorry," she said. Nel hugged Nnoitra and rested her head on Nnoitra's shoulder. "I love you, Nnoitra," she whispered.

Grimmjow waltzed into his room and brought up Pantera from her sheath. His blade creaked from the weight and pressure Ichigo was inflicting. He looked at his Ichigo and asked, "Feelin' better, babe?"

Ichigo broke off the contact and growled, "I'll be better when I cut you in half!" He roared and brought Zangetsu down on Grimmjow again. His blade hit the ground after Grimmjow flashed away. "Damn!" he complained. He felt Grimmjow behind him, so Ichigo turned and swung his blade.

Grimmjow caught the blade between his hands and he pulled the sword from the other's grasp. "I thought I hid you well," said Grimmjow as he flipped the sword and held it by the hilt.

The orange haired shinigami glared and hopped up into the air. He spun to send a kick at Grimmjow's head, but his leg was caught. He yelped out in surprise when he was thrown through the air. He landed safely on the bed, but Ichigo wasn't through with Grimmjow. He went to the edge of the bed and got to his feet. He clicked his way over to the end of the bed to give the other a piece of his mind.

The Espada saw the defiance radiating off of Ichigo in large waves; he loved it. He showed Zangetsu to Ichigo, then he turned and hurled the sword at the wall.

Ichigo watched in horror as his sword was sheathed halfway into the wall. He turned his attention back to Grimmjow and stopped the upcoming insult when he saw how Grimmjow was dressed. Brown eyes drank in the masculinity of Grimmjow's look. Ichigo could say that he loved a man in a suit.

Grimmjow approached Ichigo cautiously and caressed Ichigo's jawline with his hand. He adored the stunned look on the other, and he awed at his lover's beauty. "Do you love me, babe?" he asked. Blue eyes focused on brown.

Glossed lips parted and pronounced a small "yes."

The Espada leaned in and whispered in Ichigo's ear, "I can't hear you." His cheek grazed Ichigo's when he retreated.

Ichigo's heart twisted with emotion. He couldn't deny the emotion any longer. He felt it during the fight with Grimmjow. Oh how he wanted to say "yes" to his question out in the battle field. The shinigami felt that the moment was both romantic and perfect. His gut twisted, telling him to say it already.

Soft hands made their way up to gently brush against the bruises that showed. Ichigo was pretty damn proud that his lover could take a beating and still walk around like nothing happened. He looked up from the bruises. Brown eyes focused on blue. "Yes," he said louder. "I love you, Grimmjow." He embraced the Espada and kissed him on the lips. The little kiss morphed into a deep kiss.

Grimmjow dipped his body lower and lifted Ichigo up by the legs. He put his hands under the other's bottom when Ichigo wrapped his legs around Grimmjow's waist. He walked toward the bed and rested his lover on the sheets. He climbed on top and continued kissing the other.

Ichigo's heart beat with incredible speed, and his stomach did flips. The kiss was beautiful. Not only did he get to feel up Grimmjow's pierced tongue, but he also got to nip back. Yes, he enjoyed biting Grimmjow. He sucked Grimmjow's tongue into his mouth and sucked on the pink flesh.

The Espada wanted to enjoy his Ichigo thoroughly, so spread Ichigo's legs, stopping the kiss due to the other's surprise. Grimmjow settled in between the other's legs and continued to kiss the other. He trailed wet kisses from Ichigo's lips to his neck. There, he kissed around the choker, but the accessory kept slipping in his way.

With a growl, Grimmjow bit the choker in two. He spat the accessory aside and attacked Ichigo's neck again. He nipped and sucked at the peach soft skin, relishing the smooth feel and the sweet taste. He made sure to leave hickies all around Ichigo's neck; he only stopped when the skin was a shade of red or slight purple. The marks would definitely ward off anymore supernatural suitors.

Ichigo moaned and groaned in appreciation as Grimmjow kissed his neck. His fingers traced every curve and crinkled on Grimmjow's shoulders and made his way up to his hair. When he reached the blue strands, Ichigo's fingers combed through it. The other's hair was soft and smooth to the touch. The strands were so soft that they slipped through his fingers with grace and ease. He clenched the soft strands when Grimmjow bit down on him extra hard, making him arch up as well.

Grimmjow kissed his way to Ichigo's chest but stopped. He really liked the corset; he really did. Thus, he reached under Ichigo and undid the ties. He was glad the other arched up for him to undo the contraption. Then, he undid the straps connected to the nylons. The nylons were a must for Grimmjow. In his opinion, the nylons were required.

He tossed the corset onto the floor and continued kissing his Ichigo. He kissed the collar bone tenderly, making sure to show as much affection in his action before he got rough. The Espada made his way down and wrapped his mouth around Ichigo's nipple. As he sucked on the nipple, Grimmjow supported himself on one arm to have the other play with Ichigo's other nipple.

Ichigo bit his bottom lip and threw his head back as Grimmjow assaulted him with rough bites and sucks. His hands grasped Grimmjow's hair as he jumped at the rough bites. He felt his nipples hardening at the great amount of attention. He even moaned when Grimmjow pinched his dry nipple.

"Grimmjow," Ichigo panted out. His eyes were lidded with lust and desire. He looked down upon Grimmjow and bit his bottom lip at the sight of the other flicking his nipple with his tongue for good measure. Brown eyes were caught by blues. Ichigo opened his mouth to say something along the lines of "that felt good," but he was cut off by Grimmjow's new interest, his other nipple. Thus, Ichigo rested his head back on the bed.

His hands caressed Grimmjow's cheek and hollow mask. Ichigo learned to love Grimmjow's hollow mask. The sharp canines and pointed teeth made Grimmjow look so dangerous and so sexy. Ichigo traced the other's hollow mask with his finger and shivered in excitement at the thought of the graceful beast Grimmjow was. The thought of being loved and worshipped by a beast only he could tame made his willingness to give himself to Grimmjow so much more stronger.

Ichigo arched up when Grimmjow bit down, then he lowered himself when the other licked at him with affection. Seeing that the other was still intent on kissing him, Ichigo pulled the other up by grabbing at the flaps of jacket's collar.

Grimmjow was enjoying the time torturing his Ichigo with rough bites and kisses, but he liked Ichigo's demanding side. He went up to his lover and was caught in a kiss. He pulled at Ichigo's lips to let him have a taste. When he was allowed, Grimmjow plunged his tongue into the other's mouth and retraced his steps with his tongue.

As Ichigo was kissing Grimmjow, he pulled off the other's jacket, which didn't come off too easy due to Grimmjow's focus on the kiss. Ichigo then went to unbuttoning Grimmjow's shirt, but he was interrupted when Grimmjow pulled away and ripped the shirt off. Buttons flew everywhere, landing on the bed and skipping on the floor.

Ichigo ran a gentle hand down Grimmjow's bandaged abdomen. He traced the bandages and palmed the bruises as if to heal the other. He looked up at Grimmjow and smiled a soft smile.

After staring in awe at the care Ichigo was showing, Grimmjow went for Ichigo's lips again to show how much he cared, too. He moaned into the kiss as Ichigo traced his chest with care and lust dripping from his heart and into his light touches. His own nipples hardened, and his muscles flexed at the light touches from delicate fingertips.

As they kissed, Ichigo dragged his leg across Grimmjow's hip, making sure that he heel scraped along, too. He brought his knee up until the nylon scraped along Grimmjow's ribcage. Ichigo was biting his lip in a suggestive manner when Grimmjow stopped kissing to look at the leg and back at Ichigo.

Grimmjow grinned a sharp grin and gripped Ichigo's leg under the knee. He held the knee in place as he kissed Ichigo on the lips and kissed his way down the other's body. When he got to the panties, he chuckled at the wet mess. He had neglected Ichigo's main need for far too long. Grimmjow kissed the inside of Ichigo's thigh and made his way down.

He didn't pay attention to Ichigo's main problem, for he went to the other thigh and kissed it as well. He trailed downward and finally came to face Ichigo's concealed erection. He licked at the fabric and put his mouth on Ichigo without removing the panties. He made sure to lick and suck at the hidden flesh, just to torture his Ichigo. His ego doubled in size when Ichigo moaned at the teasing touches of his tongue and sucks. He looked up and smiled when Ichigo was looking down at him with lust evident in his face.

Grimmjow then pulled aside the panties and took Ichigo whole. The first thing that assaulted Grimmjow's senses was the taste. The precum was salty on his tongue but easy on the texture. He actually enjoyed the bitter taste, for it was Ichigo's flavor. The second was the soft feeling of the skin that slid along his tongue. The third was the surprising scent of strawberry.

_The girls did well_, Grimmjow thought.

He sucked up and pulled off with a pop. He didn't stop, though. He licked up the side of Ichigo's erection and took in only the tip. He swirled his tongue around the top and dipped it into the slit. Next, he slid the whole length into his mouth again to suck. He bobbed his head and looked up to see Ichigo biting his fist to muffle his moans. He felt his hair get fisted in a tight grip, and he felt Ichigo bucking his hips. He quickly held down the other after letting go of Ichigo's leg, which resulted in more hair tugging; he'd be damned if he said that he didn't like the rough touch of his lover. Though, the quiet moans were a bit of a problem.

It wasn't fair. Grimmjow came off of the other and ripped the panties off of Ichigo. He knew what would make Ichigo moan out for him. Grimmjow threw aside the panties and proceeded to kiss the other's scrotum. He kissed each and sucked on both. He focused on loving the soft skin and the tender flesh. The other still didn't moan out loud, so Grimmjow resorted to desperate measures.

Grimmjow propped Ichigo's hips up in the air as he sat on his calves. He spread the cheeks with his thumbs and swooped down to drive his tongue into Ichigo's entrance.

Ichigo released his fist and cried out in pleasure. The warm and wet feeling of Grimmjow's mouth on his dick was great, but the feeling of the other's tongue tickling his nerves was just as great. He felt the tongue wiggle inside of him, then the wet flesh was thrusting inside of him. Ichigo cried out more.

"Grimmjow!" he cried. He fisted the sheets as Grimmjow continued to eat him out. The pleasure was so good. Ichigo felt like Grimmjow was tracing the entire alphabet inside of him. He moaned when Grimmjow kissed his hole and went back to swirling his tongue inside.

Then, he arched up as Grimmjow added a finger to the fray. He felt the finger replace the tongue, and the difference was the depth of the play. The finger wiggled about and moved in and out.

Ichigo shifted a bit at the weird feeling. The deeper feeling was really odd. The finger pulled back, making Ichigo think that the weird part was over, but he was wrong. Grimmjow went back in with two fingers. The stretch was more than a little uncomfortable. The fingers were spreading and digging into him.

The muscles around Ichigo's rectum were tight and unwilling. Grimmjow frowned at this. He looked up his lover's pained face and commanded, "Relax. I don't want to hurt you. Relax."

"Relax! How about you-" started Ichigo.

Grimmjow cut him off with a discovery press to the prostate. He smirked when Ichigo moaned for him to hit that spot again, so he did. He pressed on the sweet spot a few more times.

"Oh, Grimmjow. Oh! Right there," moaned the orange haired shinigami.

The Espada just did as he was asked. As he plunged his fingers deeper and spread them wider, he always hit the other's sweet spot. Because he kept hitting Ichigo's sensitive gland, Grimmjow heard more and more moans. The sounds rung in his head and sent the blood to his pelvis.

The moans from his lover were addicting to hear, so Grimmjow purposefully hit the other's prostate with more vigour. The louder cries just added to Grimmjow's painful erection, which was concealed by the dress pants. He needed more moans, so he pushed against the spot again. Grimmjow got what he wanted: a loud outcry for more. And he would give the other more.

Grimmjow pulled out his fingers and went to work on the buttons of his pants. He popped the buttons and zipped down the fly. Then, he pulled down his pants and freed his own neglected erection. He sighed at the cool air hitting the hot skin. Grimmjow continued to pull the pants down until they hung at his ankles. Decency wasn't needed.

When he was back on his knees, Grimmjow reached back and pulled out a bottle of lube from the jumbled pockets. He almost forgot about it. He tried to move forward a bit, but the pants were bugging him. He kicked off the shoes and wiggled out of the pants. When he was completely bare, he smiled and went back to the process of loving his Ichigo.

The Espada opened the bottle and poured the cold fluid onto his length. He clenched his teeth and hissed as the cool liquid threatened the heat of his erection. He quickly closed the bottle, tossed it aside, and went to work on spreading the lube thoroughly.

Ichigo was in a lusty haze when he heard the cap of a bottle. He looked up at Grimmjow and narrowed his eyes at the bottle. He watched the liquid pour down on something, so Ichigo rested himself on his elbows to get a better look. His eyes widened at the length that was Grimmjow's. Grimmjow was Hercules huge, Goliath huge, really huge.

_Has he always been that naturally huge? Did he have a growth spurt? Is related to Hercules or Goliath?! Why is he that big? _Ichigo questioned mentally.

He looked up when Grimmjow positioned himself between his legs. Ichigo took in a deep breath. He knew what was going to happen, so all he had to do was prepare for it. With a shuddered exhaled, Ichigo laid back and spread his legs wider, hoping that the position would reduce the pain.

Ichigo looked up at Grimmjow, who was staring down at him with emotion swirling in his blues. Love. The emotion had to be love. Ichigo gripped the sheets and nodded at Grimmjow, who nodded back. He felt the blunt tip at his entrance, then he felt the tip pass his tight ring of muscle. The stretch made Ichigo yell in pain.

The stretch was too much. Ichigo clawed at the sheets as he bit his lip. He swore he felt his pelvis splitting in different directions, too.

Grimmjow saddened at the look of pain on Ichigo's face, so he quickly made his way to kissing Ichigo. He swallowed the other's pained whimpers, hoping that his kisses would distract the other. He slid in slowly. The tightness and the heat was beckoning him to thrust in roughly, but his sense told him to think of Ichigo first. After a few moments, Grimmjow felt his hips touch Ichigo's bottom.

He took his lips away and stared at Ichigo lovingly. "I'm all the way in, babe," he said in a soft tone. "Tell me when to move." He supported his body with the strength of his arms, so he wouldn't have to put his weight on the other during adjustment. He clenched his teeth when Ichigo's rectum tightened around him. He started to take deep breaths to keep from pounding into the wonderful bliss.

Ichigo moved a bit to adjust himself. He still felt full and uncomfortable. He thought about telling Grimmjow to just pull out, but he was stopped by a sensational feeling in his gut. He wasn't sure if it was emotion, but he knew it felt good. The feeling drowned away his pain and heated up his body in a blissful way.

"Move," whispered Ichigo. He felt Grimmjow slide out and push back inside of him. He didn't feel anything other than the movement and the gush of the lube spilling from his hole. Grimmjow slid out again and went back inside with a harsher thrust; Ichigo felt nothing, just another gush of the lube.

Grimmjow had felt Ichigo warm up, and he liked it. The feeling added to his pleasure, and when he was told to move, he had stepped into heaven. The warmth just made his skin tingle and his body flush. The tightness just encouraged him to move more. He grunted as he moved again and again and again. He could feel the warmed lube running down his hips and spreading around Ichigo's thighs as he continued to thrust.

There were no moans yet. Grimmjow didn't like that. He was getting all the pleasure, and Ichigo wasn't getting any. Grimmjow wanted his lover to feel everything he was feeling, so he angled himself and thrust in again.

"Right there," moaned Ichigo in a pleased voice. He felt the other's erection brush smoothly against his prostate. His entire core felt waves of relief and pleasure from the brush. Ichigo wanted more. No, he needed more.

Grimmjow smiled. He found the other's sweet spot again. He thrust more confidently and started up a rhythm that pleased him. Every time he pulled out, Ichigo's hole would pull him back in. He loved it. He loved the sensation of being sucked in.

"Ah, ah, ah, AH! Right there," moaned Ichigo. His body shifted up and down the sheets as Grimmjow pounded heatedly into his hole. His long hair spread out in a messy fan. "Uh! Ah! Ah! More!" he cried. His breath hitched when Grimmjow pulled up his legs and settled them on his shoulders. He felt more exposed, which turned out to be a good thing.

He felt Grimmjow reach deeper into him. The sensation of feeling full was wonderful; the connection was unbreakable. Ichigo felt like he was one with Grimmjow by just being connected in the sensual way. "AH! That's..Uh..Ah! Grimm...uh! Grimmjow! Ah! Harder!" His wish was granted when Grimmjow pounded into him at a bruising pace. He could hear their hips connecting in wet slaps from the sweat and lube. His bottom was stinging from the rough contact with Grimmjow's hips.

Ichigo wanted to sing from the increased amount of contact between Grimmjow's dick and his prostate. The continued sensation was too promising of everlasting love and wholeness. He could feel emotions swirling in his heart and radiating throughout his body. He loved Grimmjow. He loved the Espada so much. "Grimm..Uh Ah! Babe!" moaned Ichigo as he pulled on Grimmjow's shoulders.

Hearing that pet name made Grimmjow lose himself. He summoned as much pressure and focused it on his thrusts. He sat back on his calves, slid Ichigo's legs into the pit of his arms and gripped the other's hips violently. He quickly brought Ichigo up with one arm and proceeded with pounding into the other. He slammed Ichigo down onto his own thrusts. He grunted with every other thrust and moaned with almost every thrust.

Ichigo clung to Grimmjow. He wrapped his arms tightly around the other, so each hand touched the opposite shoulder. His breathy moans and sweet groans filled his lover's ears, and his long hair bounced in sync with Grimmjow's thrusts. "Babe..BABE!" cried Ichigo as he threw his head back and clawed at Grimmjow's shoulders. He was there. He came violently on their chests and Grimmjow's bandages, and his rectum tightened around Grimmjow.

Grimmjow roared against Ichigo's neck as he came inside of Ichigo. The warmth and tightness was too much. He laid Ichigo back on his back and slowed his thrusts to finish himself. When he was finished filling the other up, he pulled out and laid next to his lover. He looked at Ichigo and chuckled at the other sleeping soundly.

"I love you," said Grimmjow as he stared at his unconscious lover.

Two weeks later...

Ichigo stared at the pregnancy test in shock. He couldn't register the sounds of Orihime's and Nel's happy squeals, nor could he comprehend the cries of congratulations. He looked up and asked himself, "I'm pregnant?"

_Sure I puked, but how does that come even close to pregnancy? I'm a guy for goodness's sake! How the hell did I get pregnant? _he mentally ranted. Brown eyes widened. His white shirt ruffled from his angry shudders.

He got to his feet and yelled out in anger, "Grimmjow!"

**The End**

**Author's Note: **

**Woo! Cupid got it! lol I'm sure you all caught that Cupid's blood was an aphrodisiac. ;) And, I think that was the best lemon I'll ever write in my life! I'm talking about GxI's part. I don't care for Cupid and Ares. Speaking of the two, don't bother mentioning that they're related because they're not related in this story. I know I shouldn't mess with Mythology like that, but it was for the best. **

**Ichigo and Grimmjow won the challenge, and their prize is a kid! Yay!**

**I hope you all enjoyed the story. If I get five requests, I'll write an epilogue about Ichigo's birthing process with Artemis and the baby. I'll post the epilogue separately, though.**

**There's a link on my profile for a picture of Ichigo in his Dorothy outfit if you all want to check it out. There's an uncolored picture, and there's a colored picture. **

**See ya in "Angel Eyes" or "Warrior's Fate."**


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